WHATEVER IT TAKES
by luvhouse5
Summary: Sequel to "All In." House struggles to be on his best behavior while Cuddy is pregnant and stuck home on bed rest. Wilson, now acting Dean of Medicine, takes a chance on a new love. Chase’s ex- fiancée gives him news he never expected. Love, humor, sex.
1. Chapter 1

**HI EVERYONE!**

**AS PROMISED, HERE IS MY SEQUEL TO "ALL IN."**

**I AM ALSO POSTING THIS STORY ON .**

**AS USUAL, THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF HUDDY, CHASE/ SOPHIE AND WILSON...**

**... ALONG WITH A "NEW" CHARACTER THAT YOU MIGHT REMEMBER...**

**SUMMARY: House struggles to be on his best behavior at work while Cuddy, pregnant with his child, is stuck at home on bedrest . Wilson, the temporary Dean of Medicine, takes a chance on a new love. Chase's ex- fiancée gives him news he never expected.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D **

* * *

**CHAPTER 1:**

_"… That's… impossible," Sophie stammered._

_"Apparently not," her internist, Dr. Burke, a woman in her late forties replied._

_"You know that—" Sophie began._

_"Yes. Which is why I did the test twice," Burke interrupted._

_Sophie laughed. "Well you must have mixed up my test results with someone else's," she stated._

_Dr. Burke smiled slightly._

_"There is another way to confirm…" she offered. _

* * *

_A few moments later, Sophie was lying down on an exam table in another room, staring in complete awe at a hi- definition monitor while Dr. Burke gently probed her lower abdomen with an ultrasound transducer._

_"Pretty sure I didn't mix up your UTERUS with someone else's," Burke quipped, a smile tugging at her lips._

_"…Oh my god…" Sophie whispered, her eyes transfixed on the screen._

_"Congratulations, Sophie," Dr. Burke told her, holding the transducer steady so both of them could see the distinctive image on the monitor of a fetus, its tiny heart beating exactly as it should be._

_"You're pregnant."_

* * *

**PRINCETON PLAINSBORO TEACHING HOSPITAL**

**ONE WEEK LATER**

Sophie was lying on an exam table in the office of Dr. Steven Sobol, department head of OB/ Gyn at Princeton Plainsboro teaching hospital listening to the rapid and rhythmic whooshing sound of her unborn baby's heartbeat.

"Sounds great," Sobol told her with a smile.

After a few moments, he turned off the device and wheeled over a portable ultrasound machine next to the exam table, coated the transducer with gel and placed it on her stomach.

"Looks great, too," he said.

"_Wow_…" Sophie whispered once again, completely overwhelmed at the sight of the image of the tiny developing fetus inside her.

"Based on the image and the date of your last period, you're already at nine weeks," Sobol said as he critically eyed the image.

Sophie furrowed her brow.

"Nine weeks? How is that possible?"

"We calculate your due date from your last period. You're already into the pregnancy two weeks by the time you conceive," he explained as he turned off the ultrasound monitor and gave her a box of tissues.

As Sophie sat up and wiped the excess gel off her stomach, she immediately remembered that it had been seven weeks since she last had sex with Chase.

Which meant it had been seven weeks since she had broken off their engagement.

As Sophie was lost in her thoughts, Sobol turned back to the counter and maneuvered his time- honored pregnancy calculator device, which looked vaguely similar to an old- fashioned slide rule.

"…Which means your due date is March 30," he stated.

Somewhere in the recesses of the back of her mind, Sophie briefly realized that she wasn't supposed to graduate from medical school until May.

But at the moment, there was only one thing that she cared about.

"What about the adhesions? Will I be able to carry the baby to full term?" she asked.

"Based on your last films and the ultrasound, you only have a couple of adhesions and they're mild," he told her with confidence.

"… and it's obvious that they didn't affect your fertility," he added.

"So I won't have to remove them?" she clarified.

"Nope. The only thing we'll have to be concerned about is if you go into pre- term labor," he replied.

Sophie nodded, trying not to worry about that for the moment.

"But besides that, there's no reason why you can't have a perfectly healthy pregnancy," he said with a shrug and a smile.

Sophie was beaming. In her wildest dreams, she never thought this would be possible.

But at the same time, there was a nagging question that had been on her mind for the last week.

"I know what you're thinking," Sobol said before she could say anything.

She laughed sheepishly. Dr. Sobol had more than 30 years of experience and was Lisa Cuddy's doctor. She had no right to doubt him.

But she couldn't help it.

"…You were just so convinced that I would never be able to get pregnant," she said, slightly embarrassed.

"I know," he said, taking a pause.

"…Guess I was wrong," he admitted, the smile never leaving his face.

* * *

At around the same time, Wilson was sitting at Cuddy's desk in her office, flipping through the giant spreadsheet of the latest update of the hospital budget in aggravation.

The surface of Cuddy's mahogany desk was completely covered with assorted forms, P.O's and his own patient files that he had been neglecting since taking over for Cuddy as Dean of Medicine five weeks ago.

He raked his hand through the front of his hair and slid his hand to the back of his neck and began to rub the tension he had accumulated there when House opened the door to Cuddy's office.

"Lunch time!" House announced.

"Nope," Wilson said flatly, squinting his eyes as he looked back down at the spreadsheet.

"C'mon it's pizza day. I'll even let you cut in front of me," he wheedled.

"Can't. I'm too busy," Wilson said as he sifted through one of the piles of papers.

House snorted and sat down on Cuddy's couch, a scowl on his face.

"We haven't had lunch together in over a month," House pointed out.

"Maybe that explains why I actually have money in my wallet," Wilson snarked.

"…I'll treat…" House offered.

At this, Wilson looked up from his work in shock, his eyebrows at the top of his forehead.

"You're _bored_," Wilson stated flatly.

House grunted dismissively. "I'm not bored. I've had a full schedule of cases—"

"You promised Cuddy you'd behave while she's out on maternity leave so you haven't performed any crazy tests or ordered any risky procedures so you're _BORED_," Wilson interrupted him.

"And miraculously, you've managed to save every patient's life without theatrics," he added smugly.

House stared at him, deadpan.

"You're right. I'm bored," he said.

"So go play your Game Boy or throw grapes at the janitor from the balcony—" Wilson muttered.

"It's a DS and I don't have any grapes," House pointed out.

Wilson let out a loud, exasperated sigh.

"Then go do something that doesn't involve standing in front of me," he told House.

"You're annoyed," House stated.

"Love how your late- breaking epiphanies always happen when I'm in the room," Wilson snarked.

House gazed at Wilson contemplatively while he continued to flip through the mess on his desk.

"How long has it been since you've had sex?" House asked.

Wilson glared at House for a brief moment and then looked back down at his work.

"And obviously I mean with another person," House clarified.

"It's not always about sex," Wilson mumbled, not bothering to look up.

"Yes it is," House argued.

"Cuddy's on bed rest. _YOU'RE_ not having sex," Wilson pointed out.

"Boss lady takes care of her man," House assured him, to which Wilson visibly cringed, shaking his head violently to erase the image of House and Cuddy in the throes of passion.

"…I've got plenty of porn if you want to borrow—" House offered.

"_NO_ thanks," Wilson interrupted flatly.

House turned down his lower lip. "…Ok… then it's NOT about the sex."

"You're _LONELY_," House amended.

Wilson didn't bother acknowledging House's comment. But House knew his friend all too well that his silence spoke volumes.

"Don't you think it's about time you started seeing someone new?" House asked.

At this, Wilson threw his hands up in disgust, slapping them on the desk.

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?! I work a twelve hour day!!" Wilson exclaimed.

House stared at him for a moment, realizing that he may have hit a nerve.

Which was fine with him.

"You don't work weekends," House reminded him as Wilson quickly went back to his work.

"And Sophie moved in with me, so it's not like I can bring someone back to the apartment," Wilson added absentmindedly as he flipped through the budget report.

"Sophie didn't stay in Princeton?" House asked, suddenly becoming more interested.

Wilson froze for a moment, realizing that he had just revealed way too much than he wanted to. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"She… figured it'd be easier to finish up school here—"

"Why didn't she get her own apartment?" House pressed.

"She's not working right now… rent's expensive—" Wilson replied vaguely.

"Sophie's very independent. The only reason she would move in with you is if she needed someone to take care of her," House pointed out.

And then, it hit him.

"She's _pregnant_," House said with a glint in his eyes.

It was a statement more than a question. Wilson looked up from his work once again, seeing that House had a hundred more in his mind.

He sighed. "Yes."

"Is she getting back together with Chase?" House asked.

"No. And Chase doesn't know about the pregnancy, so keep your mouth shut," Wilson told him.

A slow smile crept across House's face, realizing that a new and intriguing puzzle just fell into his lap.

"Cool," he said.

* * *

While House was interrogating Wilson, Cuddy was at home, in bed, where she had been for most of the time for the past eleven weeks.

As per Dr. Sobol's orders, Cuddy was on limited bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy. She had to spend most of her day either sitting or reclining, and for the last three weeks, she wasn't even allowed to leave the house to run errands.

But now that Sobol had cleared her after her eight week prenatal appointment, she was allowed to leave the house once every few days.

In the meantime, she had worked out a very detailed daily schedule for herself so she didn't go stir crazy.

At the moment, she was knitting a blanket that had started out as a scarf a few weeks when her cell phone rang.

She reached for her phone and smiled when she glanced at the caller ID.

"'Shut- In Central,'" Cuddy joked into the phone.

"You behaving yourself?" House asked on the other end by way of greeting.

"Yes. Are _YOU_ behaving yourself?" she asked.

House smiled. "Yes."

House and Cuddy had had the same conversation for the past six weeks. And neither of them got tired of it.

"What's going on?" House asked.

"Vomited twice this morning," she told him brightly.

"Good," he replied.

"…And I'm still spotting," she said a bit softer after a pause.

"...How much?" he asked, staying calm.

"Same."

House nodded, inhaling as quietly as he could. Since the beginning of her third week, Cuddy had been spotting consistently.

And while it definitely unnerved him and at least ten different worst- case scenarios played out in his mind on a regular basis, he never once voiced them to Cuddy.

"You're already in your eleventh week and your eight week appointment was great. If nothing changed, then nothing's wrong," he told her confidently.

She nodded on the other end, staying calm, glancing over at the sonogram picture that Sobol had printed out for her three weeks ago.

She and House probably talked five times a day over the phone while House was at work. House called her mostly to check on her, once in a while, mixing in some hospital gossip that he knew she was craving.

And although neither of them admitted it, they both knew that Cuddy was clinging to House's reassurances about the pregnancy like a life raft.

Which is why he never told her what he was really thinking.

"So what's going on at work?" she asked, deciding not to let any of her doubts seep in.

"Sophie's pregnant," House said nonchalantly.

At first, she wasn't sure that she had heard him correctly.

"…W-what?" she finally said.

"And Chase doesn't know," he added.

"_WHAT_?!?!" she exclaimed.

"Gotta go," House said, his eyes brightening and his lips turning up at the corners upon picturing her shocked expression on the other end.

"Wait! You can't just leave it at that—"

"Figured that would keep you occupied for a while," he said smugly before hanging up.

* * *

A few minutes later, on her way to the cafeteria, Sophie's cell phone chimed in her pocket, indicating a text message.

She laughed as she read the text from Cuddy:

**"YOU'RE PREGNANT AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!?!?"**

Making a mental note to call her later, she entered the cafeteria, shoving her phone back in the pocket of her student lab coat.

But somehow she missed the pocket and the phone fell on the floor, the back of it popping off and the battery falling out.

"Shit," she muttered, bending down to pick up the three pieces of her cell phone.

But before she could grab the battery off the floor, someone else picked it up.

She looked up, her stomach rising into her throat at the sight of Chase standing in front of her, holding her cell phone battery.

She immediately cursed herself as her heart skipped a beat inside her at the sight of him.

He was gorgeous.

Wearing light yellow scrubs, a grey waffle t- shirt underneath the scrub top and sneakers, he was sporting a closely shaven goatee and his hair was decidedly shorter.

"I think you'll need this," he told her, handing her the battery with a lopsided smile.

She allowed him to place the battery in her right hand, immediately shoving her left hand in the other pocket of her lab coat, protecting the copy of her nine week sonogram picture that Sobol had printed out for her earlier that morning.

Sophie felt the hairs on the back of her neck nervously stand on end as she watched Chase pick up the rest of the phone.

"When did you cut your hair?" she asked him.

Chase stood up, holding the other two pieces of her phone.

"A few weeks ago," he replied.

She nodded, staring at him, a myriad of emotions swimming inside her, feeling as if the sonogram picture of her unborn baby was burning a hole in her pocket.

"I know, it's short," he commented with a nervous laugh as he ran his hand through the front of his hair. There were still loose locks that framed his face, but the rest of it was trimmed neatly around the nape of his neck.

"It looks good," she told him, realizing that she actually meant it.

"You look _GREAT_," he told her sincerely, his aquamarine eyes sparkling at her, his own heart thumping wildly in his chest.

They both stood in the middle of the cafeteria, staring at each other, the tension mounting between them.

Having no idea what else to do, Chase closed the distance between them and gave her a rather awkward hug.

She hugged him back, the smell of his clean, spicy aftershave engulfing her senses and evoking wonderful memories within her that she wasn't sure she wanted to have.

"How long have you been back?" he asked softly, reluctantly ending their hug.

"Couple days," she replied vaguely.

"So you're feeling better?" he clarified.

"Yeah," she said, remembering that she was supposed to call him after her doctor's appointment last week.

But when she had found out that she was pregnant with Chase's child, she never called him.

They continued to stare at each other uncomfortably for another few moments, saying nothing.

"Well… it's good to see you," Chase finally said.

"You too," she said with a small smile and a nod.

Chase nodded in turn, his heart aching and his stomach twisting as he began to walk past her and leave the cafeteria.

She took a deep breath, feeling as if she was about to jump into shark- infested waters.

"Rob, wait," she called after him.

He turned around with a hopeful look on his face that made Sophie dread what she was about to say .

"…Would… you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING, FOR FAVORITING, AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL POSTS! I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM.**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D REVIEWS ARE LOVE!!**

**AND THANK YOU SO MUCH, Lubpoa, FOR ALL YOUR INSPIRATION AND LOVE! IT IS TO YOU THAT I AM DEDICATING THIS STORY.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: Please read and comment.**

That evening, Chase and Sophie were sitting at a quiet table at Tony's Restaurant, Sophie's favorite place for Northern Italian food in Princeton.

They had made polite, amicable conversation for most of the night, sticking to safe topics like Chase working in the NICU, House trying to manipulate him into doing procedures in the OR for him, how Sophie's parents were doing and Wilson doing Cuddy's job.

Neither of them mentioned getting back together.

Sophie figured that Chase was probably too wary of broaching the subject, and she wasn't about to bring it up.

But her sonogram picture was in her purse on the chair next to her, and she knew that eventually she'd have to show it to Chase and tell him the truth.

She just wasn't quite sure how to do it.

For a moment, she was nervous that Chase might already know that she was pregnant when she had politely refused the glass of wine that he had ordered for her, opting for water instead. But since she rarely drank to begin with, he didn't think much of it.

"You stopped using the cane," Sophie commented after another awkward lull in the conversation as they were finishing their dinner.

"I still use it. Just not all the time," he said.

Sophie nodded.

"Are you still taking the Ultram?" she asked.

"Yep."

Sophie's first impulse was to try to convince him to go back to Dr. Eng to resume the LLLT Clinical trial he had started a few months ago.

But she pushed any feelings of concern for him down as far as she could, reminding herself that caring for him would only lead to more heartache.

"Got tired of grilled chicken?" Chase asked affectionately.

"…What?" she asked, still distracted by her own thoughts as she looked up from what was left of her entrée.

"You usually get grilled chicken with pasta primavera," he said.

Sophie wasn't about to tell him that for the last few weeks, she'd had a total aversion to all meat because of the pregnancy.

"So what made you decide to cut your hair?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Got tired of it constantly being in my eyes," he replied with a shrug.

She narrowed her brow ever so slightly, not sure that she believed him.

"Did _you_ change your hair?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"I dunno. You just look…" he said, trailing off, shaking his head a bit as he gazed at her.

She was wearing a deep red long sleeved scoop neck t- shirt and a pair of jeans. Her long wavy hair was pulled back from her face in a ponytail, and her already swollen breasts were peeking out from the top of the t- shirt.

"You're glowing," he said softly.

Sophie stiffened inside, but didn't show it. She knew that her breasts were prominently displayed in her t- shirt, but most of her other shirts were already too tight around her breasts to wear.

"Thank you," she said with a small smile.

"I saw on your schedule that you're taking a neurology elective. How's that going?" he asked her.

Upon hearing this, she realized that Chase had just given her the perfect opening.

"... I dropped the class," she said.

"Why?"

She paused, drawing in a breath as she prepared herself to tell him what she had been dreading all evening.

"I'm only taking Grand Rounds and one elective this term."

"That's… the bare minimum requirements. You won't match in Princeton by the end of the year," he told her, his brow furrowed.

"…I don't plan on matching anywhere by the end of the year," she said after another pause, her heart now hammering in her ears.

He stared at her, now completely bewildered.

"…_I'm pregnant_."

Chase's confused expression went completely blank for a moment.

He watched her reach into her bag and take out what looked like a small, square piece of paper.

When she handed it to him across the table and saw the black and white picture of the tiny fetus in front of him, his eyes widened tremendously and his lips parted, his jaw slacking open.

"Y-you… you're…" he stammered, still staring at the picture.

She braced herself, having no idea what he was about to say or do.

"Sophie! That's _WONDERFUL_!!" he exclaimed happily, his entire face lighting up.

He immediately got up from his seat across from her, sat in the empty seat next to hers and engulfed her in a hug.

Not knowing what else to do, she hugged him back, a painful sensation spreading through her chest.

"How far along are you?" he asked excitedly.

"Nine weeks."

"How do you feel?!"

"Tired. Nauseous at night, but otherwise fine," she replied, starting to feel nauseous at how deliriously happy Chase was at the moment.

"What about the adhesions? Are you going to be able to carry to full- term?" he asked her anxiously.

"Sobol thinks there's no reason why I shouldn't," she replied.

He had a thousand watt smile on his face. His eyes were dancing as tears of joy began to well up in them. She'd never seen him happier.

And it was absolutely killing her.

He cupped her face and she panicked.

He then leaned forward and placed a sweet, gentle kiss on her lips, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

For a moment, she felt herself weaken, a delightful haze sweeping over her as it always did when he kissed her.

But as he parted his lips to deepen their kiss, she pulled back, not allowing him to do so.

But Chase was too ecstatic to notice.

"So that means you're due at the end of March?" he asked, still excited.

"March 30," she confirmed.

"That's great!! You could still come back for graduation after maternity leave—"

"I'm not coming back for graduation," she interrupted him softly, but firmly.

He stared at her, confused once more, his smile fading.

She sat up straighter in her chair, her resolve returning.

"I'm going to complete as much of my coursework as I can… then I'm taking a leave of absence from school and moving back to New York to have the baby," she stated stoically.

Her words completely blindsided him.

"…You're moving back to New York?" he finally asked.

She ignored his shocked and heartbroken expression and continued.

"It's the right thing to do. I'm going to move in with my parents. They can help me—"

"_I can help you_," he said insistently, his voice quavering.

"I don't _want_ you to help me," she told him as calmly as she could.

Chase felt as if she had just stabbed him in the chest. The color began to drain from his face.

"You're the father. And I would never keep your child from you…" she began, a bit more gently.

"What does that mean?" he asked in a gravely tone, a lump forming in his throat.

"It means that you can be involved as much or as little as you want in the pregnancy and with the baby," she replied.

"… As _LITTLE_ as I want??" he repeated, incredulous.

She remained steadfast. "That's right."

"Why wouldn't I want to be involved??" he demanded. "That's my baby, too!"

"Because this baby shouldn't suddenly make you fall head over heels in love with me, and if it does, then you never really loved me in the first place," she stated flatly.

"I _NEVER_ stopped loving you," he insisted.

She drew in a breath, holding back the torrent of emotions that were just on the surface.

When she had left Chase seven weeks ago, she had decided that from now on, she was going to follow her head instead of her heart.

Refusing to let Chase's words or feelings change her mind, she grabbed her purse off the back of the chair and stood up.

"My next prenatal appointment is in three weeks. If you want to go with me, fine. If not, I understand," she told him briskly before leaving Chase at the table alone.

* * *

Later that evening, House entered his and Cuddy's home, shutting the door behind him and tossing his backpack and keys to his bike on the floor.

Still wearing his leather jacket, he went into the living room, noticing that the carpet had been vacuumed and that all the furniture had been dusted.

For a moment, he panicked, thinking that Cuddy had taken it upon herself to clean the house.

But then he remembered that they had hired Laidee, Wilson's former maid, to come three days a week to help Cuddy clean and keep her company during the day.

House surveyed the room and the evidence of everything that Cuddy had done that day to keep herself occupied.

The blanket that had started out as a scarf that she had been working on was folded neatly on the couch, next to a tote bag full of yarn and knitting needles, along with five romance novels, two medical journals and the New York Times.

On the coffee table next to her laptop was a note pad on which Cuddy had made a list of all the hospital business she needed to discuss with Wilson, as she did at the end of every work day.

He shrugged off his jacket, draping it over the back of one of the dining room chairs, toed off his sneakers and headed for the bedroom, carrying the note pad with him.

He smirked upon seeing Cuddy. Clad in a red camisole, grey yoga pants and barefoot, her legs were stretched out in front of her as she was sitting up in bed against the headboard, reading House's paperback copy of "_Lesbian Prison Stories_."

"I _KNEW_ it," he said, placing the note pad on the night stand.

"There's actually a _PLOT_ in this," she commented, never looking up from the book.

He furrowed his brow. "There is??"

"And this is only the first volume. There's a whole series," she informed him.

"I'll order it for you on Amazon for Christmas," he quipped.

"Don't charge it to the hospital," she told him without missing a beat.

"I'll charge it to Wilson. The idiot left his wallet in your office tonight," House said as he peeled his t- shirt off, tossing it in the hamper in the corner of the room.

Cuddy flapped the page in the paperback and placed it on the night- stand, thinking that she still needed to call him.

"How's he doing?" she asked.

"He couldn't buy me lunch today because he was too busy," House sulked.

"Poor you," she said with heavy sarcasm as she picked up the note pad that House had brought into the bedroom.

As she read over the list, thinking to herself if she forgot anything, House walked around to the other side of the bed and got comfortable next to her.

He then leaned over her and snagged the copy of "_Lesbian Prison Stories_," grabbed his reading glasses off his night- stand and began idly thumbing through it.

"He needs to get laid," House said off- handedly.

Cuddy looked up from her list with an arched eyebrow.

"…That sounded vaguely like you're actually going to _HELP_ him get laid," she commented.

"Let's just say I put his credit card to good use," House said, never looking up from the book, as Wilson's wallet rested comfortably in his front pocket of his jeans.

* * *

At around the same time, Wilson was still in Cuddy's office, going through at least fifty e-mails he had received that day from various doctors and administrators throughout the hospital.

He winced as he rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the tension that had built up there over day.

As he contemplated just deleting all the e-mails without bothering to read them, there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," Wilson said in annoyance, not bothering to look up.

"Dr. Wilson?" a female voice, thick with a Portuguese accent, asked.

"Yes?" Wilson asked, distracted as he glanced up from his work.

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw Ingrid, the hospital massage therapist, standing in the middle of Cuddy's office.

She was wearing a form fitting white scoop neck t- shirt and a pair of black yoga pants that hugged her slim, yet curvy body, and sneakers. Her hospital ID badge was clipped onto the bottom of her shirt. Her black curly hair was attractively pulled back away from her face with two clips.

"Oh… hi… Ingrid," he said, shaking his head a bit, visibly confused by her presence.

"Are you ready?" she asked him with an arched eyebrow.

"…For what?" he asked.

"Dr. House did not tell you?"

"About what?"

Only then did Wilson realize that Ingrid had her portable massage table with her, along with a large duffle bag.

"I give you full body massage," she told him.

Wilson immediately checked his pants pockets for his wallet, but all his pockets were empty.

He then got up from Cuddy's chair and crossed the room to the coat rack, where his lab coat was hanging neatly. He searched through all of the pockets in the coat for his wallet, but found nothing.

"Dr. House told me about your stress. He is concerned about you," Ingrid commented as she watched him frantically search through the pockets of his lab coat in vain.

"Yeah, he's a great friend," Wilson muttered.

She smiled at him, not understanding his sarcasm.

After searching through every crevice of his lab coat, he turned to her, about to tell her that the massage wasn't necessary, especially for five hundred bucks on his credit card that wasn't covered by his insurance.

But the beautiful and rather sexy smile on her face stopped the sentence in his throat before he could even get the words out.

He exhaled deeply.

"… All right…" he acquiesced.

She nodded and quickly set up her portable massage table in the middle of the room.

She then closed all the blinds in the office and took a large, flat sheet out of the duffle bag.

"Take off your clothes," she told him, her dark eyes smoldering.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING, "FAVORITING," AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM.**

**THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET GOING.**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D  REVIEWS ARE LOVE!!**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: Please read and comment.**

That same night, Cuddy was lying awake on her left side in bed, reading more of House's copy of "_Lesbian Prison Stories_" when she felt House scoot up behind her and gently cup her right breast over her camisole.

"Thought you were asleep," she said, a smile forming on her lips.

"My wife is reading lesbian porn and her pregnant breasts are my personal playground and you thought I fell asleep?" he quipped, pressing his erection against her ass from behind her.

"You're only frustrating yourself," she reminded him, arching back as his touch thrilled her.

"I'm fine," he whispered huskily into her ear before kissing down her neck.

"…Wilson's gonna be here any minute," she said, her breath hitching as he stroked her now erect nipple with his thumb over her camisole.

"I can accomplish a lot in a minute," he assured her.

She rolled over onto her back, encouraging his trail of kisses down past the base of her throat to her breasts over the fabric of her top. He squeezed her other breast as softly as possible, eliciting a soft moan from Cuddy.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked gruffly.

"No," she whispered.

He found the hem of her camisole and lifted it up, exposing her slightly swelled abdomen and voluptuous breasts. He kissed her nipple and areola delicately, taking great care not to apply too much pressure with his touch or his kisses, knowing how tender her breasts were in this stage of the pregnancy.

Cuddy smiled blissfully, caressing the back of his neck, thoroughly enjoying his ministrations, wondering if she could call Wilson and tell him that she was too tired to meet with him tonight.

Just then, there was a knock at her front door.

House exhaled in frustration, dropping his head slightly onto her chest.

"Crap," he said.

"Told ya," she replied.

House grunted in annoyance and reluctantly rolled out of their bed and grabbed his cane.

"Why can't I be the one on bed rest," he muttered before leaving the room.

She grinned, picking up her book again, returning to the page where she left off.

* * *

House grumbled all the way to the front door, wondering how he could convince Wilson to stop coming over every night as he always did after his twelve- hour workday was over to go over hospital business with Cuddy.

"You know, there's this great new invention…" House began loudly in a condescending tone as he answered the door.

But he stopped mid- insult when he saw Chase standing on the doorstep with a forlon expression.

"… it's called a cell phone," House finished, rather surprised to see Chase instead of Wilson.

Chase was still wearing the same clothes he had worn out to dinner with Sophie earlier that evening: A new dark pair of jeans and an olive button down shirt with the top button undone.

"… Is Cuddy here?" he asked sadly.

"No. She stepped out," House said, deadpan.

Chase narrowed his eyes, confused.

"… Isn't…she supposed to be on bed rest?"

"Shouldn't you know when I'm yanking your chain by now?" House shot back, backing up slightly to let him in.

Chase entered House and Cuddy's home, awkwardly standing in the foyer as House began to head back to the bedroom.

"Are you coming or not?" House asked, not looking back.

Chase's eyes widened tremendously.

"You… want me to go into the bedroom with you?" Chase asked.

"She's on bed rest and you've already seen her naked," House replied logically.

Chase thought that over for a moment. He then shrugged and followed House into the bedroom.

"Mom! I found him on the doorstep! Can we keep him?" House pleaded mockingly upon entering the bedroom with Chase closely behind him.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows ever so slightly when Chase tentatively entered her bedroom, having no idea if he should sit on the bed or the floor, or just stand in the doorway.

She couldn't help but laugh a little at how uncomfortable he seemed. She sat up slightly and patted the side of the bed next to her, as if Chase was a small child who had just woken up from a bad dream.

"You're not surprised to see me… which means you know why I'm here," he said as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"_I'M_ surprised," House snarked, getting back in the bed on the other side and grabbing the copy of "_Lesbian Prison Stories_" from her night- stand.

Chase darted a glance at the book, curious as to what it was doing on Cuddy's side of the bed, but said nothing.

A melancholy smile appeared on Cuddy's face, impressed at how astute Chase could always be.

"…Sophie called me about a half- hour ago," she admitted ruefully.

He nodded, looking down at the comforter.

"She doesn't want us to get back together," he said glumly.

Cuddy nodded sympathetically, placing a comforting hand on top of his.

"She still loves you," Cuddy said.

"…But she feels like she can't trust me," he said.

"This would've been a _GREAT_ conversation to have over the phone," House commented, never looking up from the book.

"She's still hurting. Time passes," Cuddy advised him, ignoring House's remark.

"…We never should've went to Paris," he muttered dejectedly, shaking his head.

"Why do you want her back?" House asked Chase bluntly as he looked up from the book.

Both Chase and Cuddy turned towards him, surprised at his sudden interest in their conversation.

"Because if you want her back just because she's pregnant, then she's right. She _can't_ trust you," House stated, his eyes boring into Chase.

Chase returned House's stare with an intense one of his own.

"I don't want her back just because she's pregnant," Chase said sincerely, his gaze on House never wavering.

House's eyes softened. He nodded almost imperceptibly, actually believing Chase.

"Did you tell her that?" he asked.

"I didn't get the chance," Chase mumbled, finally looking away dejectedly.

House exchanged a glance with Cuddy, who shrugged, having no idea what other advice she could give Chase.

"…Wanna do my Clinic duty tomorrow?" House asked him.

* * *

The next morning, Sophie was in the Clinic, waiting for House to arrive, wearing her short lab coat over a pair of pink scrubs and sneakers, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail.

She looked awful.

She had spent most of the night before in Wilson's bathroom hunched over the toilet, dealing with a brutal case of pregnancy sickness.

This morning, she was exhausted, sporting dark circles under her eyes and she was decidedly pale.

But she knew that she couldn't call in sick. Wilson had already pulled too many strings as acting Dean of Medicine to have her Clinic hours with House count for her one elective this term and if she missed any, the school wouldn't take the credits.

She glanced up at the analog clock on the wall and saw that House was already twenty minutes late for his Clinic hours. She got up from chairs and went over to the charge nurse's station, where Jeffrey, the newest addition to PPTH's nursing staff was sitting.

"Could you page Dr. House for me?" she asked Jeffrey.

"He had a case," a male voice with an Australian accent said behind her.

Sophie turned around and saw Chase limping towards her. He was holding his rosewood cane in his right hand and a patient's chart in his left.

A curt laugh escaped Sophie's lips upon seeing him.

She knew that Chase was trying to play on her sympathies by using the cane.

And she also knew that House never got someone to cover his Clinic shift on the days she worked there because he knew that he could never get anyone else to do his charting for him.

"You and House must both think I'm a real idiot," Sophie stated.

"Well I'm here and he's not. So if you want the credit for today's hours, you're stuck with me," Chase told her plainly, looking her square in the eyes.

Nurse Jeffrey popped his eyebrows, and quickly looked down at his desk, handing Chase the next patient's file.

"Exam Room 1," Jeffrey said, all too curious what was going on between the two of them.

* * *

As the morning went on, Chase and Sophie worked together in the Clinic, the two of them maintaining the utmost level of professionalism.

Just as she did for House, Sophie wrote down everything that Chase said in each patient's chart while Chase examined and treated each patient.

Chase had never worked with Sophie before.

But as they worked side by side in the Clinic that morning, it appeared as if they had been a team for a very long time. She understood all of his shorthand and she almost always anticipated what tests or instruments he would request for each patient.

As the morning continued, Chase asked Sophie for her medical opinion on a few of the more challenging cases. He was very impressed at her answers and how she handled the patients, especially the children. She was confident and compassionate without being condescending to them.

"You're good at this," Chase commented as he signed off on their most recent patient after skimming through the detailed notes she had taken.

"You sound surprised," Sophie replied, refusing to take his compliment.

"I'm not surprised. You're smart, you work your ass off and House is your mentor. I wouldn't expect anything less," he said.

Sophie shrugged and took another chart off the pile at the charge nurse's station, saying nothing, while Jeffrey watched both of them with eagerness.

"I think you're making a huge mistake by not finishing your degree requirements," Chase suddenly said, turning to face her.

"I can always finish over the summer," Sophie said quietly, opening up the patient's chart, refusing to meet his eyes.

"You know you're not gonna do that," he pressed.

"What I choose to do is my business," she stated flatly, turning towards him before walking away from the desk.

"You told me that I can be as involved as much as I want," Chase reminded her, immediately following her to the chairs where other patients were waiting to be seen.

She turned around sharply in mid- stride, a few inches from his face, feeling her anger growing exponentially inside her.

"With the baby. _NOT_ with me!" she stated sharply, her eyes shooting daggers at him.

"You're kind of a package deal at the moment," he quipped.

She laughed in disgust. "You think that by throwing me a few compliments and turning on the charm that I'm going to come back to you?!" She could feel her heart beating hard in her chest as she yelled at him.

But she ignored it.

"What I think is that you could be a great doctor, and the baby shouldn't stop you from doing that," he argued.

"_Well I think you should mind your own goddam bus—_" she shot back.

But before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly grabbed onto Chase's arm, feeling her legs grown weak underneath her and the room start to spin.

"… Whoa…" Sophie said softly.

Calmly, Chase grabbed her to prevent her from falling and brought her over to a chair to sit down, ignoring the stares and hushed whispers from the people around them.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"… Got dizzy for a second," she managed to say, trying to get her bearings.

"Maybe you should calm down and stop yelling at me," he told her.

At the moment, she had to agree. She nodded and bent down, placing her head between her knees.

"Is this the first time you've experienced dizziness in the pregnancy?" Chase asked, tentatively placing one hand on her back.

"Yes," she said from between her legs.

"How bad was the vomiting last night?" he asked.

"Really bad," she admitted softly.

Chase nodded, rubbing her back a little.

"C'mon," he told her.

* * *

A few moments later, Chase and Sophie were in an empty exam room in the Clinic. Sophie was sitting up on the exam table, sipping orange juice from a straw that nurse Jeffrey had given her as Chase took her blood pressure.

"Ninety over sixty. That's low," he commented.

"Low is better than high in pregnancy, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, but staying _conscious_ is better than fainting and hitting your head," he replied.

"I'll be fine," she said dismissively.

Chase took off his stethoscope and placed the blood pressure gauge back on the counter. He turned to Sophie, leaning both hands on the table as he gazed at her contemplatively.

He then reached into the pocket of his lab coat, producing a folded sheet of paper.

"I went to Sobol and got this for you," he said.

She took the paper from him curiously, unfolded it and smiled gratefully when she realized it was a list of foods that ease nausea during pregnancy.

"Cuddy said the potato chips helped her a lot," he said.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

Sophie had to inwardly admit that she was moved by his thoughtfulness.

"…I know you hate me… but if you need me, you can always call," he told her gently.

Sophie gave him a little smile once more.

"I don't hate you," she chided him.

He smiled back at this.

"You look better," he said, happy that the color had come back to her cheeks and her eyes looked brighter.

"I'm feeling better," she replied.

"I can excuse you for the rest of the day," he offered.

"I need the hours," she said, shaking her head.

Chase nodded, his beautiful eyes tracing her entire face.

They remained gazing at each other for another moment, neither of them wanting to look away, the tension and attraction between them growing.

"…I'll go get us another patient," Sophie said, breaking the mood between them as she got up from the table.

"Finish your juice," he told her, trying not to let his disappointment get to him as he watched her leave.

* * *

Sophie left the exam room, still sipping from her juice, finding House waiting for her at the charge nurse's station, leaning against the desk.

"You look like crap," House stated bluntly.

"Thought you had a case," she retorted.

"My team's running tests," he informed her.

"How nice for them," she said, her voice laden with sarcasm as she pushed past him and grabbed the next available chart from the pile.

"You're an _IDIOT_," House announced.

"Don't do this now," she told him in irritation.

"I know that I told you that you had to make a choice, but I didn't think you'd make the stupid one!!" he exclaimed.

She ignored him and headed back over to the waiting area, about to call the next patient for her and Chase to see.

But House was undaunted. He grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn around.

"You want you go through the pregnancy by yourself? _DELIVER_ by yourself? Be a single mom?!" he demanded.

"I told him that he can be involved as much as he wants—" Sophie said, refusing to get angry to avoid almost passing out again.

"Chase _LOVES_ you! He wants to marry you! He doesn't want to be '_involved_!' Don't you see how much he cares about you or are you too stupid to see what's right in front of your face?!" he yelled at her.

Sophie remained completely calm, a smirk forming on her face.

"Did you think that you were going to successfully brow- beat me into getting back together with Chase?" she asked.

"Brow beating usually works for me," he told her.

She tsked.

"Not this time," she said, releasing her arm from his grip and heading back to the patients.

* * *

Some time later, Wilson was waiting on the cafeteria line for his omelet when House came sidling up to him.

"You never showed up last night," House commented.

"I'm sure you're devastated," Wilson shot back.

"Forget something?" House asked, giving Wilson his wallet.

Wilson chuckled a bit and took it from him, opening it to check if House had taken any cash from it. Confirming that he hadn't, he shoved it in his pocket.

"Your sister's an idiot," House said, moving along the line with him.

"I know," Wilson replied.

House turned to him in shock.

"What? You don't think I want her to get her head out of her ass and get back together with Chase?" Wilson asked.

"…You think she needs to get her head out of her ass?" House said, still surprised.

"Sophie has this storybook romantic view of love that just doesn't exist," Wilson muttered, taking his omelet from the cafeteria worker.

House tilted his head and shrugged.

"I think we all do, or there wouldn't be storybooks about it," he told him.

Just then, Ingrid entered the cafeteria, catching Wilson's eye.

She smiled and waved at him. Wilson awkwardly waved back, a blush forming on his cheeks.

"So how was she?" House asked, extremely interested.

"Expensive," Wilson quipped, taking out his now- returned wallet to pay for his omelet.

"Did you get a happy ending?" House probed.

"She's a masseuse, not a hooker," Wilson reminded him.

"But you _WANTED_ a happy ending," House pressed.

Wilson ignored his remark as he paid for his omelet.

"Did you ask her out?" House asked, following Wilson as he looked for an empty table.

"No," Wilson replied flatly, his gaze focused on finding a table with only room for one person.

"Why not?" House demanded.

"Because she's my employee," Wilson hissed.

"You're not Dean of Medicine. You're _ACTING_ Dean of Medicine. And who cares? I knocked up and married my boss," House reminded him.

"And what would we talk about? We have nothing in common," Wilson added, heading over to a booth.

"You're the hospital's biggest gossip. I'm sure you'd entertain her for hours," House retorted, following him.

"_AND_ she's at least ten years younger than me," Wilson pointed out, sitting down at the table.

"Cuddy's around ten years younger than me," House replied, sitting across from him.

"Are you just going to refute every point I make?" Wilson asked, trying to remain calm.

"Yes. Until you get your head out of _YOUR_ ass, because you _WANT_ to ask her out but you think that she's too beautiful and exotic to actually go out with a guy like you," House stated.

Wilson stared at House, exhaling in defeat.

"Yes," he admitted.

House turned around to see that Ingrid had sat down at a table by herself. She glanced up from her fruit and yogurt, shyly smiling at Wilson from across the cafeteria.

Wilson smiled back at her just as shyly.

"She totally wants you," House said.

Wilson raised his eyebrow. "You think?" he asked hopefully.

"Go sit with her," House told him.

Wilson drew in a breath, pausing only for a moment before grabbing his tray and getting up from the table.

From across the cafeteria, House watched Wilson politely ask Ingrid if he could join her. He smiled when he saw Ingrid offer him the other empty seat at her table.

He then turned around, and opened his cell phone, dialing his home number, a masterful idea forming in his mind.

"What did you do?" Cuddy demanded by way of greeting.

"How much you wanna bet that I can kill two birds with one stone?" he asked her, a mischievous smile forming on his face.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL POSTS!! I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM.**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER. IT'S LONG, BUT IT'S GOING TO GET US TO WHERE WE NEED TO BE.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D**

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS! **

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: Please read and comment.**

That Saturday evening, Wilson was standing in front of his full- length mirror in his bedroom, fumbling with his tie for the fifth time when he heard Sophie flush the toilet from down the hallway.

"Nauseous?" he asked her once she entered his bedroom.

She shook her head. Wilson could see that he looked tired and her complexion was decidedly pale.

"I had to pee," she told him wearily.

"_Again_?!" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

"I'm pregnant. Sue me," she muttered as she crawled onto his bed and lay down on her side, draping her arm over her eyes.

"That's like the tenth time in the last two hours," he pointed out.

She lifted her arm off her face to look at her brother.

"You're counting how many times I pee?" she asked, arching her eyebrow in suspicion.

"Are you drinking enough water?" he asked her, neatly sidestepping her question.

"Yes. Lose the tie," she replied.

Wilson looked back at his reflection. He was wearing a pair of black slacks, a powder blue dress shirt, and a two- tone diagonal light and dark striped blue tie.

"You sure?" he asked.

Sophie dragged herself out of Wilson's bed and crossed the room to him, ignoring the dull ache in her back.

"You're going on a date. Not to a board meeting," she told him as she loosened the tie and took it off him, chucking it onto the dresser.

"I don't even know why I'm doing this," he muttered as she opened up the top button on his shirt.

"Because she's hot and you like her," she said, unbuttoning the tiny buttons his collar and smoothing it out.

"We're going to a Brazilian restaurant downtown. I won't even know what to order," he pointed out.

"So she'll help you," she said with a weak lopsided grin.

She then reached up to the top of his head and mussed up his hair, knowing that he hated when she did that.

"Real mature," he teased.

She giggled slightly as he turned back to the mirror to smooth down his hair. He chuckled, realizing that he did look a lot less stuffy without the tie and with his top shirt button undone.

"Why are you so nervous?" she asked him.

"Because she's absolutely beautiful and she's way out of my league," he said, unbuttoning his shirt cuffs and rolling up his sleeves a bit.

"Apparently not, because she accepted a date with you," she pointed out.

Wilson turned to respond to Sophie's comment.

But as he did, he noticed that her eyes looked a little sunken in.

"Are you sure you're gonna be ok?" he asked worriedly, gently pulling down her lower eyelid to examine her eyes.

"I'll be fine," she told him in a dismissive tone.

"Maybe I shouldn't go—"

"You're _GOING_," she stated flatly.

Wilson hesitated, still scrutinizing her pallid appearance. He knew that he wasn't going to win this argument with her.

And the truth was that he really didn't want to cancel on Ingrid. He had been looking forward to their first date all week.

"I have my cell. If you don't feel good, call me," he instructed her.

"I'm not calling you while you're out on your first date with her," she said.

"What if you get dizzy again?"

"I have orange juice, and Chase isn't here for me to yell at him. I'll be fine. Now go have fun."

He gave her a half smile and kissed her on the cheek. She mussed up his hair once more for good measure and crawled back into his bed, reaching for the TV remote.

He laughed on his way out of the bedroom and raked his hand through the front of his hair a few times as he made his way to the front door.

* * *

At around the same time, House and Cuddy were playing Trivial Pursuit in their bedroom.

Cuddy was lying on her left side and House was lying on his right, facing her on the bed. The game board was situated on the bed in between them.

Wearing his reading glasses, House smirked when he skimmed the question from the Entertainment category that Cuddy was required to answer.

"What actress debuted in the 1930 film '_Intermezzo_?'" House asked, knowing that she would have absolutely no idea what the answer is.

Cuddy shot him an incredulous look, lifting her hand and dropping it on the bed in exasperation.

"Who the hell would know that?!" she demanded.

House's smirk remained, waiting for her to take a guess.

"…Bette Davis?" she asked, rolling her eyes.

"Nope. It was Ingrid Bergman," he said without looking at the back of the card for the answer.

"You're making that up," she accused.

He placed the card on the bed face up, still not turning it over and slid it across the blanket to her.

She lifted the card, turned it over and saw the name "**INGRID BERGMAN**," printed on the other side.

"Fuck," she muttered.

"You know the rule. If the player asking the question knows the answer without looking—" House began.

"The other player has to lose an article of clothing," Cuddy mumbled.

House's smirk broadened, a devastatingly sexy look on his handsome features.

"Give it up," he told her.

Cuddy exhaled deeply, sat up slightly and peeled her t- shirt over her head and tossed it at his face, which House quickly threw on the floor to get a good look at her.

"Ohhhhhhh," he groaned at the sight of her.

Her voluptuous breasts were practically pouring over her full coverage red bra. Almost at twelve weeks in her pregnancy, Cuddy could no longer fit into her lacy bras and had splurged online on some more comfortable and less sexy ones.

But based on the way House was ogling her at the moment, she was happy with her purchase.

His eyes traced down her torso to her slightly swollen belly. Impulsively, he leaned across the game board to her and placed two delicate kisses on each breast and one on her abdomen.

Their eyes met in a rare intimate moment between them. As usual, she was completely caught off guard when his romantic side made an appearance, her breath catching in her throat.

"…If I didn't know any better, I'd think you looked through all the cards before we played the game," she said in a throaty alto.

House popped his eyebrows. "How do you know I didn't?"

Just then, House's cell phone rang on the night- stand. He grunted in disgust and reached over to grab it.

Cuddy was already thinking how to scheme House out of his pants as House's expression grew even more annoyed as he quickly flipped open his phone.

"Why are you calling me?" he practically barked.

"I'm on my way to pick up Ingrid," Wilson told him on the other end.

"You were supposed to turn your phone off when you left the apartment," House reminded him.

"… Sophie doesn't look so good," Wilson told him after a pause.

"Duh. That's the _POINT_," House shot back.

"She's urinated ten times in the last two hours and the nausea usually starts pretty soon. What if she dehydrates and she's by herself?" Wilson asked him worriedly.

"Chase'll know what to do," House assured him.

"And what if she doesn't call him?!" Wilson demanded.

"She will," House replied confidently.

"You made her work extra hours in the Clinic all week and she had Grand Rounds! Her BP's been very low—" Wilson argued.

"Which is why this is going to work," House stated.

Wilson pressed his lips together hard, feeling like he made a deal with the devil, as he usually did whenever he went along with any of House's ideas.

"…You'd better be right, House," Wilson finally said.

"I usually am," he reminded him.

"_USUALLY_," Wilson repeated with an edge to his voice.

"Relax. Go have fun on your date and try to get a massage _WITH_ a happy ending this time," House told him, hanging up the phone before Wilson could get a word in edgewise.

"What did he say?" Cuddy asked.

"He asked me how to say '_I love your perfectly sculpted bountiful breasts_' in Portuguese," House lied, picking up the dice to take his turn.

"He's worried about Sophie, isn't he?" Cuddy pressed.

"There's nothing to worry about," House said as he rolled the dice.

Cuddy kept a piercing stare on him, waiting for him to tell her the truth. House glanced up at her for a brief second before moving his game piece to the appropriate space on the board.

"…He said she's peeing a lot and that doesn't look so good," House mumbled.

"She can dehydrate if the vomiting is bad," Cuddy told him, her own worry growing at the thought.

"She's not stupid. She knows that she has to drink—" House began.

"She won't be _ABLE_ to drink if she's nauseous! And if she tries to call Wilson and she can't reach him—" Cuddy interrupted.

"She'll call Chase and he'll come to her rescue," House explained simply.

"She's too _STUBBORN_ to call Chase!!" Cuddy exclaimed.

Landing on a pink "_Entertainment_" space, House jutted his chin at her.

"Are you gonna ask me a question or what?" he asked.

"If she calls here, I'm sending an ambulance to Wilson's place," Cuddy declared, refusing to take the next trivia card out of the box.

"No you _WON'T_," House stated firmly, locking eyes with her.

She inhaled deeply through her nose, the all- too familiar feeling of dread coursing through her when she knew she had to go along with one of House's plans.

"You'd better be right," she told him gravely.

"I think bed rest is turning you into Wilson," he told her.

"I've got better cleavage than him," she quipped.

"Damn right," he told her.

At this, Cuddy laughed a bit and took out the next card, trying to convince herself that either Sophie would be completely fine while Wilson was gone or that Sophie would do exactly as House predicted she would.

Upon seeing the question on the card in front of her, she grinned broadly.

"'Who was _The Girl With the Curl_?'" Cuddy asked.

House's eyes widened, realizing he had no idea what the answer was.

Cuddy bit her lip, triumphant that she had House exactly where she wanted him.

"You know the answer, don't you," he stated.

"Mary Pickford," she said smugly, sliding the card over to him without turning it over.

House grabbed the card and flipped it over to see the answer.

"Crap," he stated.

"Your pants, Dr. House," Cuddy said, the smile never leaving her face.

* * *

A while later, Wilson and Ingrid were sitting across from each other at an intimate table at _Beco_, a Brazilian restaurant with a warm and comfortable atmosphere in downtown Princeton.

Ingrid had explained to him all of the choices on the menu and highly recommended the _Feijoada_, a savory black bean stew served buffet style. She had then guided him down the buffet line, instructing him to add rice and pork, along with sweet potatoes and a half of a peeled orange as side dishes.

Wilson had taken a few bites of his dinner and had found everything to be delicious.

But he was so worried about Sophie, that he had barely eaten much after that. He kept glancing at his cell phone, which was turned off.

"Is something wrong?" Ingrid asked him, after a particular lengthy silence between them at the table.

"…What?" Wilson asked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Do you not like your _Feijoada_?" she asked.

Wilson smiled at her apologetically. She looked lovely in a cream colored sleeveless form fitting shift dress with a low scoop neck, thin straps and matching pumps. Her hair was elegantly pulled away from her face and vintage delicate earrings dangled from her ear lobes.

"No, it's great," he told her sincerely. "I'm just worried about my sister. She's pregnant, she just broke up with her fiancée and she's home by herself…" he began, trailing off.

Ingrid nodded her head, waiting for him to continue his thought.

"I'm sorry. It's a long story that I'm sure you don't want to hear," he said with slight embarrassment.

"I would not mind if you told me," she told him sincerely.

"…Can I ask you something?" he asked.

She nodded, a sweet smile on her face.

"You're an incredibly beautiful woman," he told her.

Her smile widened. "Thank you, but that is not a question," she pointed out.

"What I mean is… you're an incredibly beautiful woman… and I'm sure that men are constantly tripping over themselves to get close to you," he continued.

Ingrid could feel herself blush at his compliment.

"Why would you want to possibly want to go out with me?" he asked her plainly.

At this, she reached across the table for his hand, curling her fingers around his and rubbing the top of his hand with her thumb.

"Because you are sweet… and kind…" she said, taking a pause to meet his eyes with hers.

"And you have a boyish quality that I find very sexy," she added, her dark eyes glimmering.

Wilson's eyes widened tremendously at her candor, swallowing the lump that suddenly formed in his throat.

"I would like to get to know you better," she told him in a sexy tone.

"… I… would like that, too," he stammered.

As Ingrid continued to stroke his hand, he momentarily forgot about Sophie as he felt Ingrid's bare toes scoot up the hem of his slacks and tickle his leg underneath the table.

* * *

While Ingrid was making her move on Wilson, Sophie was hunched over the toilet, violently throwing up.

She had been in that position for almost an hour.  She leaned back heavily against the wall to catch her breath in large gasps, wiping her mouth with a nearby wet washcloth. Both her back and her stomach were hurting her tremendously, but she dismissed it as a combination of the position she had been in over the last hour and the nausea.

But when she managed to get to her feet and looked in the mirror, she realized nervously that she was wrong.

Her complexion was grey and her eyes were definitely sunken in.

She immediately pinched the skin on her forearm to see if it bounced back.

It didn't.

"…Oh shit," she whispered.

She shakily turned on the sink faucet, cupped her hands under the running water and brought it to her mouth, swallowing it.

Two seconds later, she gagged and vomited again, dropping back down to her knees.

As goosebumps formed all over her skin, she clumsily reached for her cell phone on the floor next to her and managed to press the speed dial for Wilson's number.

His phone went right to voicemail.

Realizing she had no other choice, she scrolled down her contacts to the one number that she swore to herself that she would never call.

* * *

A few moments later, Chase put down his Xbox console to answer his cell phone, which was resting next to him on the couch.

"This is Chase," he said into the phone, not bothering to look at the Caller ID.

"… _Robbie_…"

Chase froze at the weak and raspy familiar voice on the other end.

"… Sophie?!" he asked anxiously.

There was no answer.

"Sophie, what's wrong?!" he demanded, standing up from the couch, a sharp pain shooting through his ankle.

"… _help me_…" she whispered.

His heart racing, Chase dashed out of his apartment as quickly as he could, grabbing his keys from the coffee table near the front door forgetting his cane as he blocked out the persistent throbbing in his ankle.

* * *

A little over twenty minutes later, Chase and Sophie were in the Princeton Plainsboro ER.

Sophie was sitting up halfway on a hospital bed, an IV hooked up to her arm, while Dr. Jill Tarney, the OB/Gyn on call, had listened to the baby's heartbeat with a fetal Doppler and given her an ultrasound on Chase's orders.

"Everything's fine," Dr. Tarney assured them with a confident smile.

Chase breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Thank you," he told the doctor.

She printed out a copy of the ultrasound image for both of them, handing it to Chase.

"We're going to keep you here for a few hours. You should be ok to go home after that, but you need to increase your fluid intake and I'm scheduling you a checkup with Dr. Sobol for Monday," Tarney told her.

Sophie nodded in reply, still feeling a little weak, despite the fact that the color had returned to her face.

Chase thanked Dr. Tarney once more before she left them alone.

He gazed at Sophie contemplatively as he raised the orange juice box back up to her lips that the ER nurse had given to him when they had arrived.

"You're gonna have to start drinking a lot more. I can't follow you around the hospital with a juice box all day," he told her.

She took another sip from the straw and swallowed.

"How'd you get in to the apartment?" she asked him in a raspy voice.

Chase smiled with embarrassment.

"…Wilson gave me the key yesterday," he admitted.

"Of course he did," she mumbled.

"You're _LUCKY_ he did," he scolded her, his eyes boring into her.

Sophie lowered her eyes away from him in embarrassment, her pride refusing to admit that Chase was right.

"Once they discharge you, we're going back to Wilson's place, we're getting some of your stuff and you're moving back into the condo with me," he told her in a soft, yet authoritative tone.

Upon hearing this, she looked at him in complete disbelief and weakly laughed in his face.

"That's funny," she said as sarcastically as she could.

"I found you unconscious on the bathroom floor, dehydrated. Wilson works late every night—" Chase said, refusing to back down.

"I can take care of myself," she interrupted.

"Apparently you can't," he said.

"I had to work longer than usual this week and I'm just having a rough first trimester. I'll be fine in a few weeks," she argued.

"What if you're not?" he demanded.

Sophie could tell by the serious expression on his face that he wasn't going to relent.

"The baby was ok this time. What about next time?" he added.

At that moment, she realized in total humiliation that she hadn't even thought about the baby inside her.

All she could think about was herself and that she had been too headstrong and stupid to ask Chase for help.

Knowing that she was completely ashamed of herself and that she was in no position to refuse him, Chase reached across the hospital bed for her hand.

"Stop being so stubborn and let me take care of you," he insisted.

Her mouth turned down, she stared at his hand on top of hers.

"…I'll make you a deal," she began softly.

"I'll move back in with you… if you stop taking the Ultram and go back to Dr. Eng for the LLLT treatments," she offered, finally meeting his eyes.

Chase only paused for a second before digging his cell phone out of his pocket, and scrolling through his contacts for Dr. Eng's cell number while Sophie watched his every move.

"… Yes, Dr. Eng? It's Dr. Chase," he said.

"…I know. I'm sorry to call you this late on your private number… but I'd like to rejoin the NYU LLLT Clinical trial…" Chase continued.

"…Thank you, and again I'm sorry to bother you," he repeated before hanging up and turning back to Sophie.

"Happy?" he asked her with a twisted smile.

"Yes," she told him, her lips turning up at the corners.

"Now gimme your phone," she added.

Chase furrowed his brow, bewildered, handing over his cell phone to her. She scrolled through his contacts until she found the one she wanted.

* * *

"So did it work?" House asked into his cell phone a few moments later, expecting to hear Chase's voice on the other end.

"Yeah, it did," Sophie replied.

House raised his eyebrows ever so slightly.

"Chase, whatever happened to your annoying British accent??" House asked in a mockingly innocent tone.

"He's Australian," Sophie corrected him, shooting Chase a sly, yet weak smile before she closed the phone.

Chase grinned back, rubbing her knee affectionately as he took his phone back from her with the other hand, impressed but not surprised that she had figured out that he, House and Wilson had all been plotting against her the entire time.

"We're not getting back together," she declared.

"I know," he said lightly, his eyes sparkling.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS! I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM.**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D **

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: Please read and comment.**

Some time after enjoying their dinner at Beco, Wilson and Ingrid had gone back to her apartment for an after- dinner drink.

"You are going to love this," she told him as she took a small bowl of lemons out of the refrigerator.

Wilson was leaning against the counter in Ingrid's kitchen, admiring how the cream colored dress she was wearing showcased her firm ass.

"I love it already," he said, his eyes tracing over her curves.

She laughed as she turned around, placing the bowl of lemons on the counter.

"And you are going to help," she told him as she reached up to take out two whiskey glasses from a cabinet above the counter.

Wilson turned on the faucet to wash his hands. "What are we making?"

"Caipirinha," she told him, taking two sharp knives out of the silverware drawer and placing them on top of a wooden cutting board on the counter.

Having no idea what that was, Wilson dried his hands with a nearby dishtowel and watched her take a bottle of something that looked like rum out of another cabinet along with a shot glass.

"This is cachaça," she told him, pouring him a tiny bit into the glass and handing it to him. "Taste."

He tasted it and licked his lips. "Mmm. Very sweet," he commented.

"Mmm," she agreed, a sexy smile forming on her lips.

She took the shot glass from him, placed it on the counter and took out one of the lemons from the bowl, slicing it in half and giving him one of the pieces.

"Cut this into four pieces, like this," she said, cutting her lemon half in four equal sized wedges.

"Ok," Wilson said in a flirtatious tone as he cut his half of the lemon exactly as she did.

She then took the four lemon wedges he cut, placed them into one of the glasses and took the lemon she cut and placed them into the other glass.

"Now, we put in some sugar…" she said, pouring in a few tablespoons into each glass from a nearby sugar bowl that she always kept on the counter.

She then opened the silverware drawer again, producing a pestle.

"And then we mash it together," she said, showing him the tool.

Wilson arched his eyebrow a bit, watching her mash the lemon wedges and sugar into the glass.

"You try," she told him, handing him the pestle.

He took the tool from her and mashed the lemon and sugar together in the glass. Ingrid watched him as he did, admiring how his shoulders moved as he worked.

"Very good," she commented.

He turned to her, an adorable boyish smile on his lips.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Now… we fill with ice and some cachaça," she replied, smiling as well.

After filling both glasses with ice and a generous dose of the sugar cane alcohol, she then took a chrome cocktail shaker out of another cabinet and placed it on the counter, taking off the top.

Wilson poured the contents of both glasses into the shaker and watched her shake the mixture they had made together for around ten seconds, trying his best not to stare at her ample, perky breasts jiggle as she did so.

"And now we pour into glasses," she said, taking the top of the shaker off and pouring equal amounts of the mixture into each glass.

"Taste," she told him.

Wilson brought his glass, filled with the lemon wedges and the mixture they had created to his lips and took a taste.

His eyes widened with surprise and delight upon tasting the perfect blend of sweet and sour on his tongue.

"_Wow_!" he stated.

Ingrid's smile broadened, thrilled at his reaction.

"I told you that you would love it," she said.

* * *

Some time later, Sophie tentatively entered the living room of the condo she used to live with Chase, him following closely behind her.

He placed the suitcase and overnight bag that they had packed from Wilson's apartment on the floor of the living room. They had stopped there to pack some things for her after she had been discharged from the hospital that night.

Sophie looked around the living room, a melancholy washing over her.

Everything was the same.

All of the furniture was still arranged the same way. Chase hadn't taken down any of the pictures of them together off the wall unit. All of the plants they had picked out together when they first moved in were still in their exact same spots.

But the thing that made her heart ache most of all was that Chase's clean scent of soap and his aftershave still permeated through the entire house.

A smell that she miserably realized that she had been longing for.

"I'll bring you bags upstairs," he told her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"I can do it," she offered.

"You're pregnant and you just got discharged for dehydration. You not lifting these," he told her firmly.

"I'm fine now, and _you're_ not bringing these up the steps with your ankle. You fell down these steps, remember?" she pointed out.

"I'll be fine," he assured her, picking up the bags once again from the floor, about to head up the staircase to the second level.

But before he could take a step, he felt Sophie tug on one of the handles, pulling him backwards.

"No you _WON'T_," she argued.

His hand still on the handle, he exhaled deeply, eyeing her in frustration.

"You really want to play tug of war with your bags all night?" he asked.

"… No," she mumbled.

Keeping his gaze on her, he thought for a moment.

He knew that it had been difficult for Sophie to agree to their new living arrangements and he didn't want to take away any more of her independence than he and Wilson had already.

"How about I take one and you take one?" he suggested.

"Ok," she acquiesced.

He gave her the lighter of the two bags before they made their way up the steps.

Without a word, Chase led her into their former bedroom, took the bag she had carried from her and placed both of them on the floor.

Sophie stood in the middle of the room, quite surprised.

"You're giving me our…" she began, stopping in mid sentence, when she realized she had just referred to the bedroom as '_theirs_.'

"… the… big bed?" she finished, correcting herself.

But Chase didn't miss her mistake.

"You'll be more comfortable here," he told her.

"Where are you gonna sleep?" she asked.

"I'll sleep on the day bed in the media room," he said with a shrug, referring to one of the other two bedrooms they had converted when they had first moved in.

"The day bed's terrible. You'll hurt your back," she said.

"Well it's either that or the couch," he replied with a tiny smile.

"The couch sucks, too," she said, returning his smile with a little one of her own.

They stood in their former bedroom, looking at each other awkwardly, still smiling slightly at each other.

"...Well, I guess I'll let you unpack," Chase finally said, turning around to leave her.

But as he turned, her smile faded and her lower lip began to quiver, as the events of the night suddenly hit her.

"You were right," she blurted out.

Chase turned back around to face her, seeing that she was clearly upset and overwhelmed.

"…I wasn't thinking about the baby," she admitted in a shaky voice.

He took a few steps towards her, closing the distance between them in the bedroom and gently pulled her close to him, enveloping her in his arms.

She took a ragged breath and let it out against his chest, the shame she had felt earlier that evening returning full force.

"I'm such an idiot," she berated herself.

"No you're not," he said tenderly.

"If you hadn't shown up when you did—"

"Don't think about that now."

She took another deep breath, her chest rising and falling with the effort. Chase pressed his cheek against hers, still holding her, caressing her back.

She closed her eyes, taking in the wonderful, sweet scent of him.

"You smell good," she murmured sadly.

He laughed slightly. "Thanks."

They held each other for a while, neither of them making a move to let the other go.

Finally, Sophie lifted her head from his chest to look at him.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

He gave her a gentle smile and traced her cheek with his thumb. He could tell by the way she was looking at him that if he just leaned forward and brushed her lips that she would succumb to him.

But instead, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead, to which she closed her eyes.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

She nodded. "I think I'm gonna take a shower first."

"If you don't feel right again, let me know," he told her.

"I will," she assured him.

They reluctantly let go of each other and Chase let himself of out the bedroom, closing the door behind him to give her privacy.

He had wanted to kiss her so much.

And even though he could tell that she wanted to kiss him too, he also knew that despite her weak and vulnerable state at the moment, she still wouldn't agree to come back to him.

She was too stubborn.

If they were going to get back together, Chase would have to wait for her to come around on her own.

Which meant that if he would have to find the right combination of love, patience and manipulation to make it happen.

* * *

Wilson and Ingrid were sitting on her living room couch, his arm around her, their Caipirinha glasses empty, looking at pictures from a worn in leather bound photo album that Ingrid kept on the coffee table.

"Is this your family?" he asked, pointing at a picture of six smiling people, one of them being her, standing on a dock in front of a large fishing boat.

"Yes. That is my brother Luis, my sister Ana, and my parents on our boat in Ingleses, " she said, pointing out each of the people in the photo.

Wilson's eyes widened a bit. "That's your _MOTHER_?" he asked in disbelief, pointing to a strikingly beautiful woman in the picture who seemed to look only a few years older than Ingrid.

"Yes," she said with a laugh.

"She's beautiful. She looks just like you," Wilson said.

Ingrid turned to him, a warm smile on her face. Wilson smiled back, inwardly amazed at how comfortable and natural it felt to be with this woman.

"How often do you see them?" he asked.

"Once a year on Christmas," she replied.

"That's it?"

"I am first in my family to go to university. My parents worked very hard to send me. I do not have the money to travel and neither do they," she explained.

"You must miss them very much," he commented.

"Yes," she agreed. "It is good that you and your sister are close."

At this, a vision of Sophie flashed through his mind of her passed out on the floor in his apartment all by herself and how stupid he had been to listen to House.

"You are worried about her?" she asked, noticing his distracted expression.

"A little," he admitted.

"Would you like to call her?"

He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and turned it on, deciding not to follow House's instructions any longer.

Wilson waited nervously for any voice or text messages to appear from her or from Chase.

But none did.

"She didn't call. I guess that means she's ok." He said, trying to convince himself as he put his phone down on the coffee table.

"You are a good brother to care about her so much," she said sincerely.

He traced her lovely face with his eyes, eventually focusing on her soft, full lips.

Slowly, he moved closer to her and kissed her tentatively.

Their lips moved gently and searchingly against each other's. He deepened the kiss, which she welcomed, tasting the delightful mix of sugar and lemon on her tongue. She moaned into his mouth, wrapping her arms around his neck.

His arousal escalating, he skated his hand up her torso and cupped her breast gently over her the fabric of her dress.

"..._Ai_…" she whimpered.

"You like this?" he murmured against her mouth.

"… _sim_…" she breathed.

Taking that to mean '_yes_,' he squeezed her breast lightly, brushing his thumb over her nipple, now erect through the fabric of her dress.

Moaning sexily into his mouth again, she found the buttons on his shirt and started to unfasten them. He could already feel the bulge in his pants straining against the front of his slacks as he began to trail kisses down her neck.

"_Me amor_…" she whispered, lolling her head back at the feel of his lips against her skin.

Suddenly, Wilson's phone chimed, indicating a text. They immediately broke apart and turned to stare at the phone.

"That's probably Sophie," Wilson said, the bulge in his pants already shrinking while his anxiety grew as he reached for the phone, catching his breath.

His eyebrows arched in a mixture of curiosity and confusion as he read the message:

**DEHYDRATED AND PASSED OUT. **

**CHASE FOUND ME. TOOK ME TO PPTH. FINE NOW. **

**MOVED BACK IN W/HIM. **

**NOT GETTING BACK 2GETHER. **

**SAID YOU GAVE HIM THE KEY. **

**YOU'RE AN ASS.**

**-SO**

"Is everything all right?" Ingrid asked as Wilson continued to stare at the message.

"… I think so…" he said.

"Can you stay?" she murmured into his ear, caressing the upper part of his thigh over his slacks.

Wilson looked down at her hand and drew in a breath, his erection making a comeback at how deliciously close her hand was to it.

"I guess I can," he replied softly.

She then got up from the couch and took his hand in hers.

"Come," she told him.

* * *

Later that night, House woke up in his bed to the sound of the toilet flushing down the hallway.

He then listened to the sound of two bare feet padding down the hallway, getting softer and further away with each step.

With a disgusted grunt, House got out of the bed, grabbed his cane and limped down to the kitchen in his bare feet, finding Cuddy in front of the open refrigerator.

"You're supposed to be in bed," he scolded her, rubbing his face.

"I just threw up. I wanted some ginger ale," she told him in a raspy voice.

"Don't think so," he replied, shaking his head once.

"You think I'm making margaritas?" she snarked.

"No, I think that you're lying about throwing up," he replied.

"And why would I do that?" she asked, glaring at him while holding the refrigerator door open.

"Because you've been throwing up between 9 and 9:30 every morning. And since it's only 2 AM…" he said, trailing off.

Cuddy continued to stare at him for a moment. She then rolled her eyes, shut the refrigerator and leaned against the counter, knowing she had been busted.

"Flushing the toilet was a nice touch," he told her.

She shot him a nasty grimace.

"You're ansty," he declared.

"_Ansty_?! You ever see 'The Shining?'" she demanded.

"You've been able to leave the house every few days," he pointed out.

"Yeah, for like an hour at a time, and never by myself. Laidee always has to go with me. It's like I'm a convict in a minimum security prison," she argued.

House popped an eyebrow.

"Ok. You gotta stop reading that book," he told her.

"… I want to go back to work," she admitted, looking back down at the floor.

"That's not happening," he told her firmly.

"I _know_ it's not happening," she muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

House opened his mouth, about to tell her that if she went back to work, there was a good chance that she would lose the baby and that she'd never forgive herself.

But for some reason, as he looked at her, the words stopped in his throat.

"…Your twelve week appointment is on Monday. That's in two days. If everything's ok, maybe Sobol will tell you that you can go out a little more," he said instead.

She looked up from the floor, meeting his eyes for a moment.

She then nodded reluctantly.

"Now get back in the bed," he told her.

* * *

A short time later, Wilson clumsily reached over to the night- stand for his ringing cell phone, still half- asleep, fumbling for it in the darkness of the bedroom.

"What?" he mumbled into the phone, blinking his eyes to focus on the digital clock in front of him.

"Cuddy's getting cabin fever," House said on the other end.

"…And what exactly am I supposed to do about that at this moment?" Wilson asked.

"You're the poster child for The Supportive Shoulder To Cry On Foundation," House reminded him.

Wilson sighed as he propped himself up on his elbow in the bed.

"What did you tell her?" he asked, knowing that the only way to get House off the phone was to indulge him.

"That her twelve week appointment is on Monday, which is only in two days and if everything's ok, then Sobol will give her the green light to go out a little more," House replied.

"Then you said everything right," Wilson told him.

"Ok," House said.

"Is that all or can I go back to sleep?" Wilson asked him in slight annoyance.

"So does Ingrid speak Portuguese during sex?" House asked.

Wilson pursed his lips and didn't answer, realizing that this was the real reason that House had called him.

"That's a '_yes_,'" House said triumphantly.

Wilson remained silent, glancing over at Ingrid, who was lying on her back next to him, the light blanket barely covering her breasts.

"Tell her I say _Olá_," House quipped before hanging up.

He snorted as he closed his phone, flopping back down on his back.

He then felt Ingrid stir in her sleep and shift her position, sliding his hand and arm across his bare chest.

"House says 'hi,'" he whispered to her, wrapping his arms around her naked frame.

She moaned lightly and nestled against his chest, her hair draping over him, the two of them falling back to sleep.

* * *

"Ingrid speaks Portuguese during sex," House informed Cuddy after placing his cell phone back on the night stand.

"That's wonderful," she muttered against the pillow.

"Which means I killed two birds with one stone," he stated.

Cuddy paused for a moment, her back facing him.

"My wallet's in the kitchen," she finally said, not bothering to turn around.

House immediately got out of the bed, gleeful as a kid on Christmas morning, went into the kitchen and took a hundred dollars out of Cuddy's wallet with a satisfied smile on his face.

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR POSTS. I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM.**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!!**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D **

* * *

**CHAPTER 6: Please read and comment.**

**SUNDAY NIGHT:**

After a long day of Wilson and Chase moving the rest of Sophie's stuff from Wilson's apartment back into the condo, Chase and Sophie were sitting on the living room couch, eating linguini with marinara sauce along with some bread topped with butter and Parmesan cheese that Chase had cooked for them.

"Is it ok?" he asked a bit anxiously as he watched her eat.

"It's _great_!" she told him sincerely, wiping the bit of sauce she got on her lips after taking another generous forkful of pasta.

"You sure? I didn't put in any spices because I didn't want to further upset your stomach."

"No, it's delicious," she reassured him, taking a sip of water from the glass in front of her.

Chase smiled a bit, taking another bite. Sophie gave him a sideways glance, a smile forming on her lips.

"You didn't used to be this nervous when you cooked," she commented.

"Well, I never cooked for a pregnant woman before," he replied playfully.

She chuckled at that. "Is it that much different?"

He shrugged, his smile fading a bit as he remembered the events from last night.

He had found Sophie unconscious on the bathroom floor in Wilson's apartment after she had called him, barely able to speak from dehydration. He shuddered inwardly, not wanting to relive that anytime soon.

Although he had immediately brought her to the hospital and put up a tough façade for her after she had recovered, he had been truly scared when he had found her lying there.

"I'm fine now," she reminded him, as usual, able to read his thoughts just by the look on his face.

A small laugh escaped his lips. "You always know what I'm thinking."

"That's why you suck at cards," she quipped with a smile.

He laughed out loud at that and resumed eating.

Sophie took another forkful of linguine, keeping a thoughtful gaze on him. She was incredibly grateful that Chase had taken her to the hospital last night, but she didn't want to dwell on it.

"You know, I could've helped you and Jimmy move my stuff in here," she remarked.

"No way," he stated firmly.

"Are you going to treat me like a delicate flower for the rest of the pregnancy?" she demanded lightly.

"Most women would enjoy it," he told her, his voice playful again.

"I'm not most women," she replied, fighting back a grin.

"I know," he said with one of his patented adorable smiles.

As their eyes lingered on each other, Sophie drew in a silent breath at how incredibly cute he looked at this moment, berating herself as the intense feelings for him that she had pushed deep down inside her were starting to resurface.

"I think there's a Hitchcock movie on. You wanna watch it?" she said as she placed her plate down on the coffee table and grabbed the remote, abruptly looking away from him.

"… Yeah, sure," he said casually, still looking at her, knowing that her sudden interest in watching TV was her way of deflecting.

After scrolling through the movie channels, Sophie finally found what she was looking for.

"There we are. _Vertigo_. Ever see this one?" she asked him.

"No. What's it about?" he asked.

"I'm not telling you that," she teased, laughing a little.

He smirked at her, his eyes sparkling mischievously before reaching over and tickling her under her armpit, making her giggle and recoil back from him just a bit.

* * *

Around two hours later, Chase stared wide- eyed at the screen as he watched Judy Barton plummet to her death from the bell tower.

Sophie smiled a bit, secretly loving his reaction to the end of the film.

"Didn't expect that, did you?" she asked.

"No..." he said, completely shocked, still staring at the screen.

She laughed. "I'm so glad I didn't give you any spoilers. Your face is priceless."

His jaw dropped in mock outrage. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Yes," she said with a broad grin.

"… I remember when we attempted to watch '_The Lady Vanishes_' together…" he said a bit shyly, lowering his gaze.

The grin on Sophie's face softened as she remembered when she paid Chase a surprise visit a week after they had met in Boston when he was there on a medical conference with Cuddy.

They had originally had plans to go to a Hitchcock film festival together in Boston, but Chase wound up having to pull a late shift in the NICU that night, so Sophie had flown to Princeton instead, bringing her DVD copy of '_The Lady Vanishes_' with her.

She blushed, remembering that they hadn't even made it through the opening credits before they started kissing, which led to them making love on Chase's couch the entire night.

"Me too," she said softly, their gazes lingering once again as they had before.

Sophie could feel her earlier emotions start to resurface again, knowing that if she didn't put a stop to this now, that they'd most likely wind up in bed together.

"Well, I'm going to take a shower before the vomiting starts," she said with a lopsided grin, completely breaking the mood between them.

He laughed a little. "Let me know if it's bad," he said, trying once again to act casual, despite the fact that she had just shot down his attempt at intimacy.

"I will," she said.

"…Thanks for dinner and the movie," she added.

"It was my pleasure," he told her.

"You want me to help you with the dishes first?" she asked.

"Nah, it's all right. Go relax," he replied.

She nodded, pausing for a moment, remaining on the couch.

She then leaned over to him and gently kissed his cheek, her eyes fluttering closed as she felt his soft scruff against her skin.

He kissed her cheek in kind, ignoring his own disappointment and the feelings she had stirred inside him by the touch of her lips.

"G'night," she whispered into his ear before getting up off the couch, leaving him there by himself.

He watched her go up the steps to the second floor and close the door of the room that used to be their bedroom behind her, a melancholy smile on his handsome face.

"G'night," he finally said to the empty living room.

* * *

Sometime during the night, Sophie had felt her regularly scheduled pregnancy sickness overtake her, causing her to rush to the bathroom.

After almost forty- five minutes of vomiting, she exhaled deeply, leaning back against the bathroom wall, sitting on the floor, incredibly thankful that tonight's bout of nausea hadn't been as bad as last night.

When she was certain that it was finally over, she slowly stood up, splashed her face with some cold water, brushed her teeth and made her way back to the bedroom, exhausted.

But she smiled when she found a plate of saltine crackers and a glass of Sprite waiting for her on the night- stand.

* * *

**THE NEXT MORNING: MONDAY.**

Chase, House and Cuddy were sitting in chairs in Dr. Sobol's office at around 8:30 than morning, waiting for Cuddy's name to be called.

Chase had told both of them the events of his weekend with Sophie in detail. Cuddy listened carefully and sympathetically while House sat in between them, reading a copy of Parent's Magazine, trying to tune them out with little success.

"She's confused," Cuddy told Chase.

"No she's not," House declared, finally deciding to participate in the conversation.

"Her head's pulling her in one direction and her heart's pulling her in another. How is that not confused?" Cuddy demanded of House.

"She's _CONFLICTED_, not confused," House corrected her.

"What's the difference?" Chase asked.

House snorted and tossed the magazine down on the table in front of him impatiently. He always hated when he had to explain himself.

"If Sophie was confused, she wouldn't be sure of her feelings for you. She _KNOWS_ how she feels about you, but she doesn't _WANT_ to feel that way. Ergo, she's _CONFLICTED_," House told him in annoyance.

Chase leaned back against the chair with a dejected look.

"Great," he muttered.

"Give her some time. She'll come around," Cuddy told him reassuringly.

"I'll give her all the time she needs. I just don't like that she doesn't want to have feelings for me," Chase explained.

"Duh. You broke her heart. You expect that your adorable smile and great hair will just win her over?" House asked him.

"Lisa Cuddy?" one of the nurses announced from a few feet away.

"That's us," House said. "C'mon, preggo," he told Cuddy as he got up off the chair.

Cuddy stood up from her chair and leaned over to Chase, placing her hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"The saltines were a nice touch," she said to him.

"Yeah, it doesn't get any more romantic than a plate of dry crackers," House called back to Chase as he limped towards the exam room.

* * *

Cuddy was lying on her back on an exam table, wearing her street clothes, a navy pair of yoga pants, a white scoop neck t- shirt and sneakers as Sobol took her blood pressure and listened to her unborn baby's heartbeat with a Fetal Doppler monitor.

All three of them listened carefully to the rapid and strong rhythmic whooshing noises emanating from the speaker component of the Doppler while Dr. Sobol probed her abdomen with the microphone component.

"Sounds great," Sobol confirmed.

Cuddy smiled in great relief, closing her eyes as she basked for a moment in the wonderful sound of her baby's heartbeat.

She was at twelve weeks now, having made it further along than any of her previous pregnancies. Impulsively, she grabbed House's hand and squeezed it.

She just hoped that she would continue to be happy as time went on.

"Are you still spotting?" Sobol asked her as he took the monitor off her small and slightly rounded belly.

"… A little," she admitted meekly as she sat up on the table.

"How are you feeling?" Sobol asked as he turned back to her chart to record some information.

"Ansty," House answered for her flatly, earning a glare from Cuddy.

"I mean physically," he said with a small laugh. "Any nausea, vomiting, frequent urination—"

"Yes," Cuddy interrupted.

"Good," Sobol replied with a smile, still examining her chart.

"…And you gained a total of five pounds so far, which is very good," he added.

"So does this mean that I can get off bed rest?" Cuddy asked hopefully.

At this, Sobol turned away from her chart and met her anxious gaze.

"No," he replied.

"You just said I'm doing well," Cuddy argued with exasperation.

"Which is why I'm not taking you off bed rest," Sobol countered.

"Plenty of women spot during pregnancy and they're not on bed rest," she pointed out.

"True," Sobol said calmly, refusing to change his mind.

"Aren't you gonna say anything?" Cuddy demanded of House, snapping her head towards him.

"Nope," House said.

Cuddy tsked loudly and rolled her eyes skyward, placing her tongue against the inside of her cheek.

"We'll reassess in four weeks at your next checkup. If you're still spotting but everything else is ok by then, I'll lessen your restrictions," Sobol assured her.

"What about sex?" House asked, avoiding Cuddy's withered look.

"We'll reassess in four weeks," Sobol repeated, trying to keep the tiny smirk on his lips at bay.

House raised both eyebrows, clearly not expecting that answer.

"I'm sure you two can find ways to be intimate for the next four weeks without having intercourse," Sobol said cheerily as he closed Cuddy's file.

"Can I at least walk around the hospital for a little while before I go home?" she asked him.

"Sure."

* * *

Around twenty minutes later, Cuddy had visited several areas of the hospital, including the Clinic. Everyone she encountered was glad to see her and wished her well.

But she found it difficult to be happy as she witnessed the usual bustle of the hospital running smoothly around her.

"See? The paint's not peeling off the walls, employees aren't running amok. Everything's fine," House told her.

She nodded, still looking around, feeling lost.

"I told you. The hospital runs itself," he added.

"…Yeah," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Got a case," Thirteen suddenly called out to House as she made her way towards both of them.

"Hi Dr. Cuddy. How are you?" Thirteen asked once she reached them, handing House the file that Wilson had given to her.

"Good. Good…" Cuddy said, nodding as House perused the file.

"Run tests for the usual suspects while I take Cuddy home. I'll be back in twenty minutes," he told Thirteen in a clipped tone, thrusting the file at her.

"We don't know what the 'usual suspects' _ARE_ with this case. That's why I came to find you," she told him with irritation.

"Blood work indicates possible infection. Give him broad- spectrum antibiotics. I'll be _BACK_ in TWENTY _MINUTES_," he repeated angrily.

"You've got a case. I'll call a cab," Cuddy told him wearily, touching his arm before she walked towards the lobby.

House watched her sink down onto one of the couches as she pulled her cell phone out of her bag to call a cab.

He ignored the pang in his heart as he turned away from her to follow Thirteen back to his office.

* * *

Some time that afternoon, Sophie was sitting up on the exam table in Dr. Sobol's office after he had listened to the heartbeat of her unborn baby.

"Heart sounded great," Sobol said as he wrote in Sophie's file.

"Says here you dehydrated on Saturday night. How's the vomiting?" he asked her.

"Last night wasn't as bad as Saturday night, but it's still bad," she replied.

"That's a good pregnancy," he commented.

She let out a weak laugh. "Great."

"Try to eat five or six small meals a day instead of three large meals. Saltines by the bed usually helps too," he told her.

Sophie smiled a bit, remembering how Chase had left the saltines by the bed for her last night.

Considering all they had been through over the weekend, she found that she was actually happy to be living with him again.

And she found herself enjoying the wonderful feelings that had surfaced in his attempts to win back her heart.

"Yeah, I had some last night. I think they helped," she told him, her thoughts still on Chase.

"And I want you to increase your fluid intake to 64 oz a day. Water and juice are both fine, but nothing with caffeine," he instructed, to which she nodded.

"…I also got the results back from the genetic testing you took at Mt. Sinai," he began as he read through the report.

At this, Sophie drew in a nervous breath, bracing herself for the worst.

"You tested negative for everything," he told her with a smile.

"Oh thank god," she breathed, lolling her head back in relief.

"But CBC shows that your iron count's a little low, so I'm putting you on Ferro- Sequels once a day. You can take it with your pre- natal vitamin," he told her.

"Ok," she said, still elated from her test results. When her OB in Manhattan had suggested genetic testing when she first found out she was pregnant, she had become very nervous.

"See you in two weeks," he said, closing her file and making his way to the door.

"That's it?" she asked, surprised.

"That's it," he said before letting himself out.

Sophie hopped off the table happily, deciding to pay Chase a surprise visit in the NICU to tell him the good news.

* * *

While Sophie was getting ready to leave the OB/Gyn wing, Chase was in the NICU, sitting at his desk, reviewing the files of all their current patients with Kate Sloan, a registered nurse in her late twenties.

With long blonde hair, petite features, striking green eyes and a beautiful smile, Kate frequently turned quite a few heads in the hospital. She had recently been transferred to the NICU from Pediatrics and had quickly taken a liking to her new hot, Australian boss.

And as she raked his body with her eyes that afternoon while he perused through the files, she darted her tongue out to lick her lips, staring covertly at the bulge in his scrubs.

She had recently heard that he had broken off his engagement.

And she wasn't about to waste the opportunity to get him into her bed as soon as possible.

"Dr. Chase?" she asked, focusing back on his face, as he was reading over a file.

"Yes?" he said distractedly, not looking up from the file.

"I'm thinking of applying for the Nurse Practitioner Program here… and I was wondering if you could write me a recommendation," she said.

Chase looked up from the file to see her smiling sweetly at him.

"I'd be happy to," he said good- naturedly.

"Thank you so much," she said gratefully, still smiling at him.

"So you want one of these, huh?" he said with a charming grin as he tapped on his prescription pad in the front pocket of his lab coat.

She laughed. "The better pay is nice, too," she said in a slightly flirtatious tone.

"If you really want better pay, you should try med school," he said.

"No thanks," she said with a chuckle.

"Why not? You're smart enough," he told her.

"You think so?" she asked innocently.

"Definitely," he assured her.

As they continued to smile, laugh and chat animatedly with each other in the NICU, they had no idea that Sophie had been watching them through a nearby window.

She could see that the blonde girl was clearly interested in Chase, and that he was clearly flattered by her attention.

Her heart sank as she stared at them for a moment longer, leaving the NICU before Chase even knew that she had been there.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

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* * *

**CHAPTER 7: Please read and comment.**

Sophie watched through one of the windows of the NICU as Chase and the pretty and petite blonde nurse smiled, laughed and chatted animatedly with each other.

She could see that the blonde girl was clearly interested in Chase, and that he was clearly flattered by her attention. Her heart sank as she stared at them for a moment longer, leaving the NICU before she thought that Chase even knew that she had been there.

But she was wrong.

As she walked briskly down the hallway and further away from the NICU, she could hear rapid footsteps coming closer to her.

"_Sophie_!" Chase called out.

She kept walking, refusing to turn around.

"Sophie, wait," as he gently grabbed her arm, causing her to finally face him.

"What?" she stated in a clipped tone.

"…How did your appointment go? I'm sorry I couldn't be there—" he began, slightly thrown off at first by her curt demeanor.

"Yeah, I can see why," she snapped, feeling her blood starting to boil.

"Excuse me?" he said, raising his eyebrows in confusion.

"Look, I get that you're one of the top ten hottest doctors at Princeton Plainsboro, all right? I understand that all the nurses want to run their fingers through your hair and get down your pants," she began angrily, her eyes blazing.

"But you don't get to flirt with other nurses _AND_ make me dinner and leave me saltines by the bed! It doesn't work like that! You can't have it both ways!" she yelled at him.

Chase's eyebrows only raised even higher at her outburst, still too stunned to respond.

Seeing that he wasn't going to say anything, she turned on her heel and continued to storm down the hallway in a huff.

As he watched her leave, a tiny, knowing smile appeared on her face.

"She's jealous," Chase said aloud.

And then his smile broadened.

"Cool," he said as he went back into the NICU.

* * *

At the same time, House was in his conference room, only half listening at best to Foreman and Thirteen discussing their current case as he leaned his chin on the handle of his cane.

His mind was still on Cuddy and how lost and miserable she had been after her twelve- week appointment that morning.

Both of them had been relieved that her checkup had gone so well. This was the furthest she had ever been in any pregnancy, and House had been suppressing any optimistic feelings that had dared to surface inside him.  And he had been even more surprised to hear that there was the possibility that Sobol might actually clear them for sex in four weeks. House had been positive that he and Cuddy wouldn't be able to have sex the entire pregnancy, leaving him to root through his secret secret stash of porn that he had hoped Cuddy hadn't discovered since she had been on bed rest.

"House?" Thirteen asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He glanced up at both Foreman and Thirteen, who seemed to be waiting for some type of response from him.

"Should we run the tests or just start treatment?" Thirteen said a bit impatiently.

He stared at her for a moment longer before he abruptly got up from the table and left the conference room, never answering her question.

* * *

A few minutes later, House strode into the NICU, where Chase was examining a premature newborn infant. Chase looked up from his patient upon hearing the distinctive uneven gait of House entering the room.

"What are you doing here?" Chase asked, rather surprised to see him.

House was about to answer his question, but did a double- take at the young, pretty and blonde new addition to the NICU staff.

"Who are _YOU_?" House asked her bluntly, jutting his chin at her.

The blonde glanced at Chase a bit nervously, who was holding back at smirk.

"… Kate Sloan," she replied guardedly, noticing that the man with the can in front of her wasn't wearing a lab coat or a hospital ID Badge.

"You a student?" House asked, still staring her down.

"No… I'm a nurse," she said, still tentative.

"Huh," House commented, raising his eyebrows, turning his attention to Chase.

Chase immediately wiped the smirk off his face at House's expectant look.

"He's a doctor," Chase explained to Kate. "I used to work with him."

"_FOR_ him," House corrected.

"… For him," Chase conceded.

"Cuddy's miserable," House said, ignoring the fact that Kate was still in the room with him.

"…And… you came to _me_ and not Wilson for advice because…" Chase asked.

"Because Wilson's is too distracted and deliriously happy because he's having sex with Ingrid the Brazilian masseuse," House replied impatiently.

"Wilson and Ingrid are sleeping together?" Chase asked with piqued interest.

"Apparently she speaks Portuguese during sex," House told him.

Chase dwelled on that for a moment while Kate watched the interaction between the two men, thinking she might have just entered another dimension. House grabbed a nearby stool and sat down in the middle of the NICU.

"I think she wanted to see that the hospital was falling apart without her being here," House mused.

"Ingrid wanted to see that the hospital was falling apart?" Chase asked in confusion.

"No, Cuddy, you idiot," House said in annoyance.

"She still has to be on bed rest?" Chase asked.

"At least another four weeks until the next appointment."

Chase mulled all of this over in his mind, seeing that this was obviously bothering the older man.

"… If she's miserable because the hospital is running smoothly without her… then maybe it shouldn't run so smoothly…" Chase suggested.

"So you're saying I should create a disaster," House said, following his line of logic.

"Maybe not of _Biblical_ proportions…" Chase said, trailing off.

"But just enough to get her back in the game and make her feel useful," House finished for him.

"Exactly," Chase said with a sly smile.

"Exactly why did I fire you again?" House asked him.

"Damned if I know," Chase retorted.

And then House had an idea.

"You wanna come back?" House asked.

"… You… want me to work for you again?" Chase grimaced.

"… _WITH_ me," House clarified. "You can be a part- time consultant."

"You're hiring me back because I helped you with a problem with Cuddy?" Chase asked in disbelief.

"No, I'm hiring you back because _neither Cuddy nor Wilson authorized the position_," House explained with a leading gaze.

A tiny, yet rather impressed smile appeared on Chase's features.

"Sure. Why not?" he said with a shrug.

"Cool," House said with a curt nod.

As he turned on his heel to leave the NICU, he stopped just shy of the door, turning to face Kate.

"I know he's adorable, but don't get your hopes up. He's still living with his ex," House said to her before turning to leave once again.

"Oh, and she's pregnant. With his kid," House added before finally tipping out the door, leaving a wide eyed Kate and a rather amused Chase in the NICU.

* * *

Some time later, Sophie was sitting at a booth in the corner of the cafeteria, ignoring the lemonade in front of her as her mind swirled with thoughts of Chase and the pretty blonde nurse he had been talking to in the NICU.

She had completely flown off the handle, yelling at him in the middle of the hallway.

And she was quite embarrassed about it.

She knew deep down that Chase was probably not even interested in the girl. He had been so sweet and attentive to her the last couple of days. It wouldn't make sense that he was suddenly interested in someone else.

Maybe she was just jealous.

Or maybe it was because the sight of Chase flirting with another girl brought back all the painful memories of what had happened at Cameron's wedding.

She felt a wave of heartache as she remembered how Chase had stared at Cameron during the reception, completely captivated and longing for her while she was dancing with her new husband.

She didn't want to believe that he still had feelings for her, but when she had asked him about it, he had admitted it.

She had spent seven long hours on the flight back from Paris trying to convince herself that someday he'd get over her.

But by the time they had landed, she knew she was kidding herself.

And that's when she decided to leave.

But not before they had made incredibly passionate love in the shower, which got her in her current situtation.

While Sophie continued to brood over her untouched lemonade, Wilson and Ingrid entered the cafeteria. Wilson immediately spotted his sister sitting by herself.

"Sophie!" he called out with a friendly wave.

Upon hearing her name, she glanced up and saw Wilson, all smiles, walking towards her with a beautiful young woman by his side.

She forced a smile and nodded to them, thinking to herself that she really wasn't in the mood to meet her brother's latest love of his life.

But noticing how he seemed to be bubbling over with happiness, she knew that she didn't have a choice. She kept the smile on her face as Wilson and Ingrid slid into the booth.

"Sophie, I'd like you to meet Ingrid Oliveira," Wilson said gallantly.

"It is so nice to meet you, Sophie. Your brother has told me such wonderful things about you," Ingrid said.

"It's nice to meet you, too. And he's said wonderful things about you," she replied in a pleasant tone.

Ingrid smiled and blushed a little as Wilson took her hand in his on the tabletop.

"So how was dinner the other night?" Sophie asked, ignoring the stab she felt from her brother's public display of affection.

"Your brother now knows how to make Caipirinha," Ingrid said proudly.

"That's great," Sophie said, still forcing the corners of her mouth to stay upturned.

"And we _HAVE_ to take you to this restaurant we went to. The food was phenomenal," Wilson gushed.

Sophie chuckled. "Maybe in my second trimester," she suggested.

"Yes, I heard! You are pregnant!" Ingrid said excitedly. "That is wonderful!"

Sophie darted at quick glance at Wilson, her eyes lightly demanding an explanation. Only a few people knew that she was pregnant, and she had assumed that Wilson had enough sense to keep it a secret until she started showing.

"So how did your appointment go?" Wilson asked brightly, knowing the exact meaning behind his sister's glare.

"Fine," she replied simply.

"What did Sobol say about the dehydration?" he asked her.

"I have to drink 64 oz of fluids a day. And he wants me to eat small meals and more frequently," she told him.

"But everything else is all right? The genetic testing was all negative?"

"Mhm," she said absentmindedly.

Wilson furrowed his brow. "…Are you ok?"

Sophie paused for a moment, wondering if she should even bother to tell him what had happened.

"…I just saw Chase in the NICU," she mumbled.

Both Wilson and Ingrid exchanged a glance, the two of them staying quiet.

"I'm assuming he told you everything," Sophie said to Ingrid, knowing all too well that her brother could never keep his mouth shut.

An uncomfortable expression appeared on Wilson's face. He opened his mouth, ready to give Sophie some kind of excuse as to why he had confided in Ingrid about her private life.

But Ingrid was undaunted. She let go of Wilson's hand and took Sophie's in place of it.

"Your brother cares about you very much," Ingrid told Sophie sincerely as she squeezed her hand.

Oddly moved by Ingrid's compassionate gesture, she managed a smile for a second before her embarrassment returned as she remembered how she had carried on just a little while ago.

"I went down there to tell him how the appointment went… and some nurse was flirting with him, and I basically went insane and screamed in his face right in the middle of the hallway," Sophie admitted.

"You were jealous?" Ingrid clarified.

"I know he's not interested in her," Sophie muttered.

"Then if you are not jealous, why did you get so upset?" Ingrid pressed her gently.

Wilson kept his eyes riveted on the two women, completely amazed at how quickly they had bonded.

Sophie sighed in a sheepish manner, knowing that she couldn't deny her feelings any longer.

"Because I'm still in love with him but I don't want to risk getting hurt again," she blurted out.

Ingrid nodded in understanding, remembering what Wilson had told her about Chase's previous relationship with Cameron.

"You still love him," Ingrid clarified.

"Yes," she answered sadly.

"And he is trying. Yes?" Ingrid continued.

"… Yes," Sophie admitted, smiling a little as thoughts of their weekend together came back to her.

"Then maybe you should give him a chance," Ingrid said.

Sophie turned toward Wilson for his opinion. But he was so flabbergasted at how Ingrid had taken charge of the conversation that he still was having trouble finding words.

"… Maybe," Sophie finally said, looking down at the table top.

Ingrid gave her a warm smile and squeezed her hand again. Sophie gently pulled her hand out of her grasp and sat up just a bit straighter.

"Listen, do you both mind if I leave you two alone? I need to think about this," Sophie told him.

"Not at all," Ingrid replied before Wilson could even say anything.

"Thank you so much, Ingrid," Sophie said gratefully.

"It is my pleasure," she replied.

Wilson was completely dumbfounded as Sophie got up from the table, taking her lemonade with her.

"That was _amazing_!!" Wilson blurted out once Sophie had left the cafeteria.

Ingrid smiled, leaned over and gave him a peck on his lips.

"I am glad you think so," she replied.

* * *

"If this isn't a beautiful naked woman, I'm hanging up," House said into his cell phone about an hour later.

"Wilson just called," Cuddy told him on the other end.

"Are you naked?" House asked hopefully.

"You hired Chase back and made him a consultant attending without checking with me first?!" she demanded, ignoring his question.

"Two heads are better than one," he replied.

"You already _HAVE_ two other team members," she stated.

"… Then… four heads are better than three?" he offered.

"You can't just do this! This has to go through the proper channels! Chase is going to want to be paid for his services. Now I have to contact all the right departments, access Payroll, AND find someone who can cover for Chase in NICU when he's working for you!" she exclaimed.

"And to think, you get to do it all without getting dressed," he quipped.

"I'm not naked," she retorted.

"Can't Wilson do all of that administrative stuff?" House asked. "He _IS_ an administrator now."

"He's got enough to do already without you giving him more work," she said, clearly irritated.

"He's definitely got enough to _DO_. Have you seen Ingrid lately? Yowza!!" House said with enthusiasm.

She sighed loudly. "Why did you do this?" she asked wearily.

"You looked lost," he said simply.

Her prepared argument stopped in her throat when she heard his reply, completely caught off guard.

"Figured I'd try to help you find your way back," he added.

After another silence, Cuddy somehow managed to find her voice again.

"… Thank you," she said, still overwhelmed.

"You sure you're not naked?" he asked.

"Goodbye, Greg," she told him, smiling as she closed her phone.

He smiled back as he did the same.

* * *

Chase was pulling his scrubs top over his head at his locker when Sophie came into the locker room.

"Hey," she said tentatively.

He pulled the top off the rest of the way, surprised to see her standing there, considering what had happened between them earlier in the day.

"… Hi," he said, his voice taking on a friendly lilt.

"… Got a minute?" she asked. He could tell by her demeanor that she was embarrassed.

He shrugged, closed the door to his locker and leaned up against it.

"Depends. You gonna yell at me again?" he asked with a playful smile.

She couldn't help but laugh just a little at that.

"Why? You enjoyed it?" she quipped.

"…A little," he admitted with a shrug, his smile growing.

She bit her lip, still grinning for a moment.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," she began sincerely, the smile fading as she gathered the strength inside her to say what she had to say.

"But if things are going to get any better between us, I need to know how you feel about Cameron," she stated plainly.

"I haven't spoken to Cameron since you left," he said, hope rising inside him.

"That's not what I asked you," she told him, her face now completely serious.

He pushed himself off the locker, and stepped closer to her, closing the distance between them.

"I haven't spoken to her… and I haven't thought about her," he told her sincerely.

"All I could think about is you," he said, his eyes matching the honesty in his voice.

He then reached for her hand, holding it with hesitation.

She stood there, wanting so much to believe him.

But she wasn't sure if she could.

She drew in a small breath. "My genetic tests results came back."

An anxious look appeared on Chase's face, bracing himself for awful news.

"I tested negative for everything," she told him.

"Oh thank god," he said in great relief, his entire body relaxing.

"Sobol said my iron's a little low. He put me on supplements," she said.

"Ok," he said, still holding her hand and nodding happily, a beautiful smile forming on his features.

A wonderful, familiar tingle spread through her, as it always did when he smiled at her.

But this time, she didn't have the urge to suppress it.

"…Ingrid… says that I should give you another chance," she confessed to him.

"She's a smart girl," Chase teased.

She breathed out a laugh, anxiety welling up inside her. She had come this far, but if she was actually going to give him another chance, she needed to be honest with him.

"I'm not ready… for us to be intimate yet," she confessed in a small voice.

"I understand," he told her sweetly.

He then pulled her into a gentle hug, their bodies fitting together perfectly against each other's. She closed her eyes and let his scent and warmth envelop her as he held her close to him, happier than he had been in a long time.

"You really liked it when I got jealous, didn't you?" she asked as he held her.

"Personally, I would've loved to see you get all feisty and deck Kate right in the middle of the NICU," he said.

"What a shock," she retorted sarcastically, still smiling.

Chase laughed and held her tighter, thinking that things were definitely looking up.

"So I'm one of the top ten hottest doctors at Princeton Plainsboro, huh?" he pressed teasingly.

"Only when House isn't around," she replied without missing a beat, grinning broadly against his chest.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS FOR BEING SO PATIENT. AND THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL POSTS. I RESPONDED TO THEM INDIVIDUALLY.**

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**CHAPTER 8: Please read and comment.**

Around seven pm that evening, House came home to find Cuddy sitting on their living room couch, enjoying a pint of Ben and Jerry's Mint Chocolate Cookie ice cream.

"Baby wanted ice cream, huh?" he asked.

"_MOMMY_ wanted ice cream," she replied around the spoon in her mouth.

"Well, _HUBBY_ wants ice cream, too," he said in a leading voice as he toed out of his sneakers.

"Then _HUBBY_ can go get _HIMSELF_ some ice cream because _WIFEY_ is on bed rest," she retorted.

"_LIMITED_ best rest," he reminded her.

"I already got up today. Get your own ice cream," she told him.

He grunted in disgust, holding off his smirk until he entered the kitchen.

Upon opening the freezer, he saw that there was only one other pint of ice cream among everything else.

"There's only Vanilla!" he called out to her from the kitchen.

"Sucks for you!" she called back.

He grumbled as he took out the vanilla and shut the door the freezer.

Cuddy giggled quietly as he heard him complaining as he took a spoon out of the silverware drawer.

But she stopped laughing immediately, putting on a straight face when he re- entered the living room and joined her on the couch, eyeing her pint of ice cream with envy.

"There's more calories in Mint Chocolate Cookie than in Vanilla," he commented.

"Probably," she said, disinterested as she took another generous spoonful out of the container.

House watched her wrap her lips around the spoon. She moaned softly in great pleasure just to stick it to him as she tasted the ice cream.

"You've already gained five pounds," he reminded her.

He then glanced downward at the couch cushion that she was sitting on for a moment before looking back up at her face.

"And from what I can tell, four of them are in your ass," he added.

"You're not getting my ice cream," she said plainly.

He shot her a glare as he took the lid off the Vanilla.

"Did you put Chase's transfer through?" he asked, placing the lid on the coffee table before digging into the ice cream.

"I didn't transfer him. I reworked his schedule in NICU so he'd be available to you a few hours a week," she said.

"A few hours a week? What good is that?" he demanded lightly.

"He's a department head. I can't just have him at your beck and call," she argued.

"And now he's also a consulting attending. Which means he _HAS_ to be at my beck and call for a _CONSULT_ when the need arises," he explained pedantically to her.

"Oh please. You have two other team members and whenever anyone gives you other ideas you mock them and embrace your own anyway," she shot back.

"But when I ask for their ideas, I get to torment them _and_ show off. It's fun," he replied with a shrug.

She gave him an irritated glance before taking another spoonful of her own ice cream. As she did, he quickly attempted to dig his own spoon into her pint, their spoons clicking against each other as she pulled the pint out of his reach.

"Nice try," she told him.

Giving up for the moment, he sulked quietly as they continued to eat from their cartons.

"…You should at least give me a taste to thank me for giving you something to do while you sit on your expanding ass all day," House muttered after a few moments.

She tsked. "Are you going to keep insulting my ass until I give you this ice cream?"

"Pretty much," he said with a nod.

And then a tiny smile appeared on her face, an idea formulating in her mind.

"That's too bad. Because... I was planning on thanking you in another way…" she said coyly, turning back to her ice cream.

At this, House arched his eyebrow in interest.

"_What_ other way?" he asked.

But she didn't answer him, taking another spoonful of ice cream, fighting the grin that was forming on her lips.

"Oh come on. You're not gonna tell me?" he whined.

"Nope," she replied in a self- righteous tone.

He then placed his carton of Vanilla down on the coffee table turned towards her on the couch.

"Your ass is _glorious_," he stated flatly.

"There should be a marble replica of your ass in the Louve. It should be The _Venus de Milo_… Michelangelo's _David_… your ass," he added, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.

"Really," she said laughing, holding a spoonful of ice cream.

Seizing the opportunity, he deftly snagged the spoon out of her hand and shoved the ice cream in his mouth, only making her laugh even harder.

Fighting off a laugh of his own, he stuck the now empty spoon back into the ice cream, a devilish glint in his eyes.

"So how are you gonna thank me?" he pressed.

At this, she gave him her pint of ice cream and got up off the couch.

"I'm gonna take a shower," she announced.

Still holding the pint of Mint Chocolate Cookie in his hands, he watched her leave the living room, his eyes on her behind, which was swaying slightly.

Waiting only a minute, he then eagerly got up off the couch, leaving the ice cream on the coffee table.

"Put the ice cream back in the freezer first!" she called out.

* * *

By the time House had entered the bathroom, Cuddy was already in the shower. He could make out her curvaceous naked frame through the steamy glass.

His cock already stiffening, he quickly shed his clothing, opened the shower door and slipped inside with her.

"Took you long enough," she snarked.

"Had to put the ice cream back first. My wife is a real pain in the ass when it comes to things like that," he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yuk yuk," she deadpanned.

They kissed passionately under the steady stream of the water, her voluptuous breasts pressed against him. He ran his hands up and down her back, loving the feel of her wet, silky skin.

"Can I wash you?" he murmured against her lips.

"Mhm."

He then took the Dove Body Wash off the recessed shelf as she turned away from him. He squirted some into his hands and began to lather her breasts. She lolled her head back against his chest happily, closing her eyes at the feel of his rough hands on her.

He brushed his thumbs against her erect nipples, evoking a breathy gasp.

"Are they tender?" he asked with concern as he delicately fondled her.

"No," she breathed, her clit twitching between her legs.

He slowly moved his hands down to her slightly swollen belly, the lather dripping down from her breasts, past her abdomen and below.

He washed her stomach, nuzzling his nose against her wet face, losing himself in the intimate moment with her. Neither of them said anything as he continued to make slow circles on her belly, enjoying the silence between them.

She turned her head slightly to look back at him. He bent down and kissed her gently, his tongue lightly tracing hers.

"You ready for me to thank you?" she whispered against his mouth.

"I thought you _were_ thanking me," he said in a gruff voice.

"Turn around," she told him sexily, her own voice taking on the sexy alto that made his cock stiffen even more.

He turned around away from her, placing his hands on the wall of the shower in front of him as the water continued to pelt down onto his chest.

"You're gonna be cold," he said, his erection twitching in anticipation.

"I'm fine," she told him softly as she took the body wash off the shelf, squirting a little into her hand.

He drew in a breath as he placed her left hand on his waist, eagerly awaiting the touch of her other hand.

She wrapped her palm and fingers around his cock, making him shudder at the contact.

Low moans escaped his throat as she continued to stroke him from base to tip, the slickness of the soap feeling delicious against his erection. She dug her fingertips into his hip, her own excitement growing at his response to her touch.

She pumped him faster, pressing her breasts against his back. He looked down at the incredibly erotic site of her tiny hand moving up and down around his cock. He breathed even harder as he could feel himself reaching the edge.

"Oh… _GOD_!" he stammered as he went over, his body jerking a little with the force of his orgasm.

As he began to recover, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Cuddy washed him off with whatever soap was left on him and placed her lips near his ear.

"Thank you," she whispered.

* * *

After leaving the hospital that evening, Chase and Sophie had decided to have dinner out at Tony's, Sophie's favorite Italian place. They had ordered a pizza, a sprite for her and a beer for him.

"So did House tell you?" he asked her, his eyes dancing with excitement.

"Tell me what?"

"That I'm working for him again?" he asked.

"You left the NICU?!" she asked incredulous.

He laughed at her surprise. "No, I'm a consulting attending," he said.

"And are you getting _PAID_ to be a consulting attending?" she asked him.

Chase waggled his eyebrows as he brought his beer bottle to his lips.

"Wow. How'd you swing that?" she asked, turning down her lower lip, impressed.

"I'd love to say that House realized he made a tremendous mistake by firing me three years ago, but he only hired me to give Cuddy something to do," he admitted, putting his beer back on the table.

At this, she raised her eyebrow slightly with a smirk.

"…That ... came out wrong," he said, realizing what his statement had implied. "She's bored on bed rest—"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I get it," she said, dissolving into a laugh, taking a sip of her soda.

Chase laughed along with her, enjoying how well they were getting along.

Back at the hospital, Sophie had told him that on Ingrid's advice, she was ready to give him another chance.

And he felt incredibly wonderful and lucky for it.

She had admitted that she wasn't ready for them to be intimate again yet, but he didn't care. He was so happy that she had come around that just being with her was enough.

"Do you want to work for him again?" she asked.

"Could be fun," he shrugged.

"He basically insulted you for four years," she pointed out.

"You seem to like working with him," he said.

"I'm his lackey. I write everything down he says, fetch him a file or a tongue depressor—"

"You're not learning anything?" he interrupted her.

"No I am, but—" she began.

But then she stopped in mid sentence as realization dawned on her.

"You're a sneaky bastard," she told him with a sly smile.

"What?" he said innocently.

"You think I'm making a mistake by not finishing school this year," she said.

"I didn't say anything," he said defensively.

"You didn't have to," she replied with a wiry grin.

He tsked and leaned forward slightly across the table, his face growing more serious.

"You're due at the end of March. You don't graduate until May—" he began.

"And I'm not going to be able to finish my coursework and take care of the baby," she argued gently.

"This isn't like you. You hustled cards and waited tables _AND_ had a full class load in med school while you were in Boston and still managed to stay in the top 5 percent of your class," he reminded her.

"It's not the same thing," she mumbled, her eyes downcast.

Chase furrowed his brow, knowing her all too well.

"What are you not telling me?" he pressed.

She exhaled, hating herself for what she was about to tell him.

"…When we broke up and I moved back to Manhattan… my mom and I talked a lot…" she began, taking a pause.

He kept his eyes on her, having no idea where she was going with this.

"…She told me what it's like to take care of an infant. The sleep deprivation, breastfeeding, formula intolerance, colic…" she said, trailing off.

"_Your MOTHER told you to quit medical school?!_" he exclaimed, his eyes almost popping out of his head.

She leaned back in her chair, not really wanting to continue this line of conversation, but she knew that she didn't have a choice.

"I'm not quitting. I'm taking a leave of absence," she corrected him.

"You know you're not going back to school once the baby is born," he stated flatly.

"School will always be there," she argued.

"And your mum has no right to tell you what to do with your life," he added firmly.

"Why does this bother you so much?" she asked.

"Because you have the potential to be a great doctor," he stated. "And you know it."

"I have to be realistic," she said. "Assuming that I make it to full- term, I can't just leave the baby with my parents or hire a nanny so I can finish school."

"_I'LL_ help you," he told her.

"How are you gonna help me?" she demanded. "You work full time."

"So I'll take a paternity leave," he offered.

"That's ridiculous," she tsked.

"Why is it ridiculous?" he countered. "The Family and Medical Leave Act covers men, too."

She stared at him, still not fully processing what he was willing to do for her.

"...You're serious," she clarified.

"Of course, I'm serious," he said.

She finally smiled, a wonderful warmth spreading through her.

"You know… my mom was pretty pissed off when we called off the wedding," she confessed.

"She wasn't the only one," he quipped, a smile playing about his lips.

"Shut up," she told him with a smirk, kicking him underneath the table lightly as he laughed.

* * *

That night, Wilson and Ingrid were in Ingrid's bed, moaning passionately underneath her blanket as they made love.

"_Ai… ai…_" she whimpered, arching her back with each thrust of Wilson's hips, his cock penetrating deeply inside her. He buried his face in her neck, close to his peak.

Just then, Wilson's cell phone rang on her night- stand.

"…The phone…" Ingrid managed to say underneath him.

"I don't hear anything," he said in a ragged breath as he continued, his movements slowing.

"You are on call. You should answer," she reminded him, trying to catch her own breath.

He looked down at her, exhaling deeply and stopping reluctantly, rolling off her to glance at his phone.

"It's not a patient. It's just my mom," he told her, rolling back to her, putting the phone back on the night- stand as it continued to ring.

"You should answer," she insisted, placing her hand on his chest.

He dropped his head a little, reaching for the phone again.

"Hi mom," he said, still catching his breath as he lay back on the bed.

"Are you all right? You sound out of breath," Susan Wilson said with concern on the other end.

Wilson looked down at Ingrid, who was lying on his chest, tracing around his nipple with her fingertip.

"No, I'm fine. Just… exercising," he thought quickly.

"Do you have any plans this weekend?" his mother asked him.

"Umm… why?"

"Because your father and I would like to see you and your sister," she said with an edge to her voice.

"That is, if you're not too _BUSY_," she added, making sure to add just the right amount of guilt into her statement.

He took another deep breath. He knew that his mother was still holding onto lingering ill- will after both he and Sophie had broken off their engagements.

"No, that sounds… great," he replied tentatively, regretting the words as soon as they came out of his mouth as Ingrid began to kiss his chest.

"Good. Then we'll see you Saturday," Susan said.

"Ok. Bye mom," he said, hanging up the phone.

"Is everything all right?" Ingrid asked him.

"…Feel like meeting my parents?" Wilson asked her.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANK YOU FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL THOUGHTS. THEY MEAN SO MUCH TO ME.**

**I HAVE BEEN UNDER A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF STRESS LATELY. **

**AS A RESULT, I'LL BE ENDING THIS STORY PRETTY SOON. I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY CHAPTERS I HAVE LEFT AT THIS POINT.**

**BUT HERE'S THE NEXT ONE.**

**I HOPE YOU ALL DECIDE TO STICK AROUND UNTIL THE END.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D **

* * *

**CHAPTER 9: Please read and comment.**

**FRIDAY NIGHT.**

Sophie was in the bedroom, lying on her side, reading her newly purchased copy of "_What to Expect When You're Expecting_," when she heard a knock at the door.

She looked up at the sound and smiled when she saw Chase tip his head into the room.

"Hey," she said fondly, flapping the page she had been reading and closing the book.

"Everything all right?" he asked. She moved over as he took a seat on the bed.

"Yep."

"Good," he said, returning her smile and rubbing her leg over the black pair of yoga pants she was wearing.

"You look nice. Got a hot date?" she teased as she gave him a once over. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans and a dark blue button down.

"Foreman invited me out for a drink," he said casually.

"On a Friday night? Should I be jealous?" she quipped.

He chuckled a bit. "He's having problems with Thirteen. Guy stuff, you know."

"Maybe he's having problems with her because he still calls her '_Thirteen_,'" Sophie pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe," he said, still caressing her leg gently with a warm gaze.

As her eyes lingered on his adorable face, he glanced at the book that she had been holding the entire time.

"When did you get this?" he asked her, taking the book off the bed.

"A couple weeks ago," she told him.

He nodded as he flipped to the page she had flapped, skimming the text.

"I can't believe I'm in my third month already," she commented.

He smiled at her before focusing on the book again, which was open to the beginning of "_The Third Month_" chapter.

On the opposite page was a sketch of a three- quarter profile of a headless naked pregnant woman. The breasts on the sketch were slightly voluptuous and the abdomen was swollen. Chase's smile remained as he gazed at the picture, looking forward to when Sophie's still rather tiny belly would be getting bigger.

They had been back together for five days.

Chase had respected her wishes about not wanting to be intimate. They were still sleeping in separate rooms. At night, after work, they had slipped into a routing of having dinner together and relaxing on the couch. Sometimes, Chase would massage her feet, or she would fall asleep sitting up in his arms, her head resting comfortably on his chest while he would gently play with her hair.

They hadn't kissed once.

And he had been wanting to kiss her for five days.

But since she hadn't initiated or even mentioned anything about it, he hadn't either.  So for the last five days, he had pretended to be completely comfortable and fine with their closeness.

But in reality, he was starting to get frustrated.

"Should I be worried that my belly's not that big yet?" she asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Chase turned to her, raising his eyebrows just a bit.

"You're only in your eleventh week. Most women in their eleventh week aren't even showing," he replied.

"I've only gained three pounds so far," she reminded him, trying to hide the concern in her voice.

"You've been vomiting every night and you dehydrated. I'm amazed you actually gained any weight at all," he said.

"Yeah, I guess…" she mused, placing a hand on her only slightly swelled belly in a protective gesture.

He looked at her contemplatively for a moment. He then tossed the book onto the night-stand.

"Stop reading, ok?" he told her.

"Ok," she said with a laugh.

Returning her smile, he patted her leg. "I won't be home late."

She shrugged. "Go have fun," she told him.

Chase gazed at her, the anticipation and tension growing inside him.

"_JUST DO IT. JUST LEAN OVER AND KISS HER,_" a voice inside his head was screaming.

But instead, Chase cupped her face and stroked her cheek with his thumb before getting up off the bed. She smiled warmly in response to his soft touch.

"I have my cell. Call me if you need me," he told her before leaving the room.

After he closed the door, she sighed in frustration, wondering why the hell Chase didn't want to kiss her.

* * *

A short time later, Chase and Foreman were sitting at a quiet restaurant- bar in downtown Princeton. Foreman had suggested going somewhere closer to campus, but Chase actually wanted to be able to hear himself talk and think.

"So what'd you tell her?" Foreman asked.

"That you're having girl problems," Chase replied as he played idly with his beer bottle.

"And she bought it?" Foreman asked, arching his brow as he brought his own beer up to his lips.

"Sounded reasonable enough," Chase muttered with a shrug.

Foreman eyed his colleague knowingly.

"So you're still not having sex, I take it," Foreman commented.

"She won't even kiss me," Chase admitted sadly.

Foreman gave him a sympathetic half- smile. "She'll come around."

But Chase wasn't convinced.

"We've been back together for five days already," he said.

"Wow. A _WHOLE_ five days?" Foreman snarked.

"Shut up," Chase mumbled.

"Technicially… are you really even together if you're not getting any?" Foreman added, unable to resist his urge to get a rise out of Chase.

Chase snorted and shot him a dirty look as he picked up his beer bottle.

"No, that's a good philosophical question. Kinda like, '_if a tree falls in the woods, and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound_?'" Foreman continued, a smile spreading across his face, thoroughly enjoying winding Chase up.

Chase continued to ignore him as he took a generous swig of his beer.

"So what are you gonna do?" Foreman asked.

"What can I do? I told her that I understood that she's not ready to be intimate yet. And I'm not gonna be a jerk and force myself on her," Chase said.

Foreman nodded slowly, his brow furrowing.

"So exactly how much porn have you been watching?" Foreman asked.

Chase darted a glance in his direction and then focused back on his beer.

"Too much," he admitted, causing Foreman to burst out laughing.

"It's not funny," Chase mumbled.

"Maybe you should invite her to watch with you," Foreman suggested.

"She won't even kiss me. You think she'll really watch porn with me?" Chase countered.

Foreman took a moment to think that over, finally shrugging in response.

"We're supposed to go out with her parents and Wilson and Ingrid tomorrow night," Chase commented.

"I'm sure that'll be delightful," Foreman said, his voice laden with sarcasm.

Chase grunted out a weak laugh. "Her mum convinced her to quit med school."

"Because she's pregnant?" Foreman asked, incredulous.

"She's due at the end of March. And her mum put ideas into her head that it's gonna be too hard to take care of a newborn and finish school at the same time," Chase replied.

"…A baby is a full- time job," Foreman conceded, taking another sip of his beer.

"I told her I'd take a paternity leave," Chase mentioned.

At this, Foreman choked slightly on his beer, almost spitting it out across the bar.

"What? Why is that so odd?" Chase demanded.

Foreman swallowed whatever liquid was left in his mouth and wiped his lips with a nearby square paper napkin.

"It's not. It's just—" Foreman began.

"Not like me to do something that selfless," Chase finished for him, deadpan.

Foreman met his annoyed gaze and shrugged slightly.

"Well… yeah," he admitted.

* * *

While Chase and Foreman were still getting their drink on, Sophie had abandoned the TV and decided to call someone who would be brutally honest with her about her situation with Chase.

"He hasn't kissed me yet," Sophie said over the phone.

"…Do you _WANT_ him to kiss you?" House asked in irritation, already losing his patience with her.

"We've been back together for five days already. I figured he'd try to kiss me by now," Sophie said.

"_YOU'RE_ the one who told him that you're not ready to be intimate yet," House reminded her.

"It's just a kiss. It's not sex," she argued.

"A kiss is a _PRELUDE_ to sex. He doesn't want to start anything that you won't let him finish," House shot back.

"That's ridiculous. He's perfectly capable of kissing me without it leading to sex," Sophie stated confidently.

House snorted on the other end.

"Women are idiots," he stated.

At this, Cuddy, who was sitting next to him on the couch and reading a romance novel, slapped him with the back of her hand without bothering to look up from her book.

"Ow!" House whined.

"Did you just get slapped?" Sophie asked in amusement.

"Just go into his bedroom," House muttered, shooting Cuddy a glare, who was still reading.

Sophie reluctantly got up out of the bed and headed the few feet down the hallway on the second floor of their home to the media room. The day bed that Chase was still sleeping on was made, and the room was tidy, as Chase usually kept it.

"Ok, now what?" Sophie asked flatly.

"Now turn on the TV," House instructed her.

"Why?" she demanded.

"Just do it," he ordered her.

Sophie sighed and turned on the TV as House had told her to.

"What channel came up?" House asked after a few moments.

"Cinemax On Demand," she replied.

"Check the active rentals…" he trailed off in a leading voice.

Sophie rolled her eyes and pressed "_Active Rentals_," waiting for the screen to change to see the most recent TV shows that Chase had been watching lately.

And then when it did, her jaw slowly slacked open.

"…Oh my god…" she said softly.

"Your shocked and appalled reaction tells me that you just discovered he's been watching porn," House deduced.

Her eyes scanned down the list of twenty suggestive titles, a laugh escaping her throat.

"…A _LOT_ of porn!" she uttered, still staring at the screen.

"So what does that tell you?" he asked pedantically.

"There's actually a movie called '_Good Will Humping_?'" she asked, incredulous. "I thought that was just a bad joke!"

"No, you idiot. He wants sex!" he stated.

"So you're saying I should sleep with him because he's jerking off every night to... '_On Golden Blonde_?'" she asked, scanning the rest of the titles.

".. That's actually a good one," House admitted, turning down his lower lip.

"Why couldn't it be '_On Golden Brunette_?'" she muttered.

House chuckled a bit. "Maybe they'll do a sequel."

"Gimme the phone," Cuddy said in annoyance, yanking it away from his ear.

"He's following your lead. If you want to kiss him, then just go for it," Cuddy told her plainly.

Sophie exhaled, mulling over everything in her mind.

"…Thanks," she finally said before hanging up.

Cuddy handed the phone back to House after hanging up and resumed reading. House kept a thoughtful gaze on her and the romance novel she was reading as he took the phone back.

"What happened to '_Lesbian Prison Stories_?'" he asked her.

"I finished it," she replied casually, still focused on her book.

"…Wanna watch '_On Golden Blonde _with me?'" he suggested.

"Nope," she replied curtly.

House nodded, staying silent for a moment.

"If I find a title with the word '_brunette_' in it, will you watch with me?" he offered.

At this, she looked up from her reading, taking a well- timed pause as she fought the grin that was forming on her lips.

"All right," she acquiesced.

House then eagerly got off the couch and limped as fast as he could towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" she asked him, confused.

"To the garage!" he called out over his shoulder.

"I _KNEW_ that's where your secret porn stash was!" she shouted out.

"_NO YOU DIDN'T!_" he shouted back before going out the front door, leaving Cuddy on the couch, laughing.

* * *

By the time Chase got home from the bar, Sophie was asleep.

He quietly opened the door to her bedroom and found her lying on her side on top of the blanket. Her copy of "_What to Expect When You're Expecting_," was tucked underneath her elbow.

Chase laughed slightly, remembering that he had told her to stop reading. It didn't surprise her in the least that she hadn't listened to him.

He crossed the few steps to the bed, watching her sleep for a few moments. He smiled softly at how peaceful she looked, a sudden urge to climb into the bed with her rising within him.

But instead, he carefully lifted her elbow just a bit and slid the book out from under her, placing it on the night- stand. Still asleep, she stirred from the movement, rolling over onto her back.

Chase froze in his spot, hoping that he hadn't woken her.

She then opened her eyes slowly.

It took her a moment to focus on Chases, a tired smile forming when she realized it was him.

"Hey," she said, her voice still raspy from sleep.

"I'm sorry I woke you," he said in a gentle voice as he took a seat on the bed next to her.

She moaned in discomfort as she rolled over back towards him. "How was the bar?" she asked him.

"You all right?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, it's nothing," she said dismissively, trying to get comfortable.

"_What's_ nothing?" he pressed.

"… My breasts hurt," she told him reluctantly.

"Sorry," Chase said with an apologetic, lopsided smile.

"It's not your fault," she told him as she sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"Actually... it is," he quipped, making her laugh.

"So did Foreman help you with your girl problems?" she asked casually.

"… He's… the one… who needed advice—" Chase stammered.

"You actually think I fell for that?" she asked with a twisted smile.

Chase laughed sheepishly. "I can't fool you, can I?"

"Nope," she said, her smile broadening.

"…You know what I told him?" he asked.

"What?"

"That I really wanna kiss you," he replied, barely above a whisper.

Her smile softened at his loving gaze on her.

She then leaned forward and touched his cheek as she gave him a slow, gentle kiss. He cupped her face in kind, his soft, full lips brushing hers tenderly. She opened her mouth ever so slightly, tentatively caressing his tongue with hers.

He moaned lightly into her mouth, a wonderful feeling spreading through his chest as they kissed, he yearning for so much more.

He wanted to lower her down onto the bed and slip in underneath the blanket with her. He wanted to touch her everywhere, to shed each other's clothing and once again feel her soft skin against his. His urge to make love with her was overwhelming.

"Tell me what you're thinking," she whispered against his lips.

"…I can't…" he breathed, his cock already beginning to strain against the front of his jeans.

"Please," she begged softly, decadently exploring his mouth, her own arousal growing.

"No, baby…" he murmured.

The space between her legs tingled intensely at what he had called her, her breath becoming shallow.

Unable to hold back any longer, she gently pulled him on top of her as they continued to kiss. He nestled against her body, careful not to put too much pressure on her breasts or her belly. She whimpered at the feel of the bulge in his jeans against her.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked with concern.

"No…" she breathed.

They deepened the kiss, his lips never leaving hers. Feeling bold, he slowly rolled his hips against hers. She gasped, their lips parting for a moment.

"Can you feel me?" he asked in a desperate, husky voice.

"…Yes…"

He pressed his forehead against hers, gasping slightly for breath, the intensity building up between their bodies as he continued to slowly and gently thrust against her. By now, he was fully erect, the strain becoming painful as her clit tingled deliciously, despite the layers of clothing between them. He could feel the pressure building to the point where he might not be able to hold it back.

"…Baby… I can't…" he managed to say, his eyes tightly shut.

"…Don't stop…"

"_Oh_!"

He buried his face in her hair, his body shuddering at his sudden, overwhelming release. Her breath hitched, holding him close to her as he went over.

He shuddered again from the aftershock against her. After a moment, he rolled off her body and onto his back, at which she nestled against him, rubbing his chest over his t- shirt.

They shared a comfortable, intimate silence for a few moments, he caressing her back.

"… I'm sorry…" he finally said.

She lifted up off of him, truly surprised at what he had said and his now forlorn expression.

"For what?" she told him.

He pressed his lips together, not sure if he could answer her.

"… For everything," he finally admitted remorsefully.

She smiled sadly at him, reaching up to touch his face.

"I hurt you so much…" he began, the emotion catching in his throat.

"And I still love you," she reassured him.

He drew in a breath and let it out as he pulled her closer, nuzzling his nose into her hair, enjoying another quiet moment between them.

"You wanna touch the baby?" she finally asked him.

He nodded.

She rolled over onto her back and lifted her shirt slightly, exposing her slightly rounded belly. Chase beamed as he gently placed his hand on her, caressing her abdomen. She gazed at him lovingly, knowing exactly how happy he was feeling at this moment, and thrilled that she was finally sharing it with him.

He continued to rub her belly, making slow circles, neither of them saying anything for several moments.

"My parents are coming tomorrow," she reminded him.

"Mhm…" he murmured, a beautiful smile remaining on his face as he touched her belly.

"…We should probably erase the porn on the TV before they get here," she added.

He raised an eyebrow at her, his hand stopping momentarily.

"Do they have any titles with brunettes?" she asked with a smirk.

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS!**

**AND THANK YOU ALSO TO EVERYONE WHO HAS RECENTLY INCLUDED THIS STORY IN THEIR FAVORITES! :) **

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENOY! :D **

* * *

**CHAPTER 10: Please read and comment.**

**NEXT DAY**

**SATURDAY MORNING.**

Sophie was sitting in Dr. Kenneth Eng's waiting room at NYU Medical Center, flipping through a recent edition of People Magazine, when Chase opened the door that separated the exam area from the waiting room.

"You bored yet?" he asked.

She looked up from the magazine and smiled at him.

"Hey."

He gave her a sweet smile in return and crossed the room to her. Sophie glanced down at his gait briefly, relieved to see that after his two hour LLLT treatment, he was no longer limping and didn't appear to be in any pain.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Good as new," he replied, rocking back and forth on his heels, the gentle smile on his face remaining.

She kept her gaze on him for a moment, studying his face carefully.

She then stood up, slinging her purse over her shoulder. She rose up on her toes to give him a soft kiss.

"Feel like taking a walk?" she asked him.

"Sure."

* * *

After a subway ride and a few turns, they eventually wound up walking down Fifth Avenue, holding hands, glancing in a store window every now and then.

By the time they had reached the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sophie was starving.

"Ooh, let's get a hot dog!" she said excitedly upon spotting a _Sabrett_ vendor near the base of the steps of the Museum.

Chase glanced at her with raised eyebrows.

"It's ten- thirty in the morning," he told her, slightly incredulous.

"I know but I'm hungry," she replied with a shrug.

Chase laughed a bit as she basically dragged him over to the vendor, watching her in amusement as she ordered a hot dog loaded with mustard and sauerkraut along with a Sprite.

She moaned in incredible satisfaction as she bit into the hot dog, savoring the meaty, salty and tangy tastes blending on her tongue.

"You're gonna pay for eating that later," he chided her, grinning.

"You mean _YOU'RE_ gonna pay for me eating this later," she clarified.

"Hey I can always go and sleep in the other bed," he teased, wiping a tiny bit of mustard off her lower lip with one of the paper napkins the vendor had given her.

"But if you do that, you won't get the chance to finally feel my humungous boobies tonight," she teased back.

Chase glanced down at her breasts, which by now were practically spilling out of her scoop neck t- shirt at this stage in her pregnancy.

"_Touché_," he acquiesced, meeting her eyes again.

She laughed, leading him over to the massive steps of the museum, on which tourists and city residents were scattered, either people watching, reading, chatting, or just enjoying the warm weather that late Saturday morning.

They found an empty part of the steps in the middle of the staircase and sat down.

"So tell me what Eng really said," she told him once they got comfortable, taking another bite of her hot dog.

Chase's grin faded into a tiny, closed- lipped smile, once again amazed how she could read him so well.

"He said that I'll most likely have to come back every few months," he admitted.

"…Which means the pain will most likely come back," she realized.

"Yeah," he agreed in a resigned manner.

She gave him a sympathetic smile, to which he shrugged lightly.

"Looks like I won't be taking you snowboarding anytime soon," he joked half- heartedly, taking the hot dog from her to snag a bite from it.

"And you actually think I'd get on a snowboard while I'm incubating your kid?" she said, grinning at him.

He chuckled and took a bite, trying not to dwell on his limitations. She gazed at him fondly as he chewed, knowing that he was disappointed. After another bite, he gave her back the rest.

"…Jimmy's really nervous about my parents meeting Ingrid tonight," Sophie said casually changing the subject as she placed the hot dog back in the paper tray that the vendor had given to her.

"Even with us there?" Chase asked.

"I think it's gonna be even worse that we're there," she replied.

"Why do you say that?" he asked her, nicking a sip of her soda.

"Because when we tell everyone tonight at dinner that I proposed to you today, Jimmy's gonna get the third degree from my mother," she told him, keeping a straight face.

Chase snorted at first, placing the soda can back down on the steps, not fully processing what she had just said.

She pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes dancing as she watched him wipe his lips with another napkin and crush it into a ball in his fist, waiting patiently for her words to sink in to his brain.

And then they did.

He turned to her, a blank expression on his face, the napkin still in his hand.

"… _What_?" he finally asked.

Her eyes glimmering, she opened her purse and took out a tiny, black leather box with gold trim and handed it to him.

"I want my cotton bras and panties to get mixed in with your laundry again," she told him, smiling.

Dumbfounded, he slowly took the box from her and opened it.

Inside was a men's style engagement ring, a Tioro titanium band set with a tiny diamond and decorated with two gold parallel grooved lines that went around the circumference of the ring.

All he could do was stare at it, flabbergasted.

Grinning broadly at his reaction, she touched his face, which finally caused him to look up at her. His lips were still parted in shock.

"Robert Chase… will you marry me?" she asked him.

Still holding the ring box, his stunned expression gave way to a broad smile.

And then he nodded, finally dropping the paper napkin.

"Yeah," he said.

"_Yeah_?" she repeated gleefully.

He cupped her cheek, leaned in and kissed her, his lips enveloping hers with passion and tenderness.

"Yeah," he breathed against her.

Deepening their kiss, they pulled each other close, oblivious to the light smattering of applause from nosy onlookers on the steps. Eventually they gently broke off their kiss, smiling happily at each other as she took the ring out of the box for him.

"When did you get this?" he asked her, watching her slip the ring onto his left ring finger.

"This morning, while you were getting your treatment," she confessed coyly.

He couldn't take the smile off his face.

"You're a little sneak," he told her, to which she nodded eagerly.

"Do you like it?" she asked, not certain that Chase would want to wear a men's engagement ring.

"I _love_ it," he replied sincerely.

"And you," he added, kissing her again.

"So are you really gonna let me feel your boobies tonight?" he asked hopefully in between kisses.

"I guess I have to now, right?" she quipped.

* * *

Later that day, House rode his motorcycle to Wilson's place, desperate for a distraction.

Cuddy had decided that she wanted some frozen yogurt, so she decided to take a quick drive to a nearby strip mall to get some.

Always in the mood to eat, House had actually suggested going out and getting it for her.

But she adamantly refused, saying that she hadn't been out of the house in three days and that she needed to get out for her entitled hour of freedom that Sobol had allotted her every few days.

"You're not going out by yourself," House had told her dismissively.

"I don't need a babysitter to get some yogurt," she stated defiantly.

"You haven't been out of the house without me or Laidee since Sobol put you on bed rest. I'm not going to give into you just because you have a craving," he told her.

"Yes you will. Because if you _don't_, even if Sobol _DOES_ clear us for sex, you won't be having any," she had shot back.

Ten minutes later, Cuddy had tipped out the door, all smiles.

And since then, House had been forcing himself not to think the worst.

Upon reaching Wilson's door, he rapped on it with his cane loudly over the sound of the vacuum cleaner that he heard on the other side of the door.

Wilson answered the door abruptly, not even bothering to look at him for more than a moment before turning back into the living room.

"Take your shoes off and don't touch anything," Wilson told him.

House's eyebrows arched significantly as he watched Wilson head back to the couch and continue vacuuming underneath the cushions.

"You're vacuuming underneath the couch cushions!" House yelled over the din of the vacuum.

"You should be doing this. Most of the crumbs under here are from you," Wilson called back.

Having no desire to continue competing with a household appliance, House headed over to the wall and yanked the cord to the vacuum out of the outlet. Wilson lolled his head back in frustration, exhaling loudly.

"You're nervous about your parents meeting Ingrid tonight, so you're obsessively cleaning," House declared.

"Oh so you never get nervous when your mom comes into town?" Wilson asked defensively.

"I'm never nervous enough to clean the way you're cleaning right now," House argued.

"You never _CLEAN_," Wilson reminded him.

"So what is it? You think your mom won't like her or you think your dad will like her too much?" House snarked.

"I already called off a wedding this year. Now I'm seeing someone again. I can already hear my mother: '_So what's the story with this one?' 'Am I planning another wedding that I'll have to cancel? Let me know so I can buy a dress that I can return_,'" Wilson said, his voice getting a little higher as he imitated his mother.

"Didn't realize that your parents want you to be alone for the rest of your life," House commented, taking a seat on the arm of the couch.

"I think they want their 40 year old son to settle down already," Wilson muttered as he walked back over to the wall to plug in the vacuum again.

"Do _YOU_ want to settle down?" House asked.

At this, Wilson stopped in mid- bend before picking up the vacuum cord.

"…I'd like to eventually," he sighed.

"With Ingrid?" House pressed.

"We just started dating. It's too early to start thinking like that," Wilson said dismissively.

"Since _WHEN_?" House demanded. "You marry everybody!"

Wilson snorted. "So what are you doing here leaving Cuddy home all alone?" he asked, changing the subject skillfully.

House narrowed his eyes a bit, knowing all too well that Wilson was deflecting.

But for some reason, he didn't feel like calling him on it.

"Cuddy had a craving for frozen yogurt," House mumbled, sliding off the arm of the couch and landing on the couch itself.

"She went out by _herself_?" Wilson asked with interest.

House shrugged, not answering him, suddenly becoming fascinated by the random patterns in Wilson living room carpet.

"How are you holding up?" Wilson asked him.

"I'm fine," House said with a grimace.

"You're not nervous," Wilson stated in disbelief, furrowing his brow.

"About what?"

"Cuddy's in her second trimester and still on limited bed rest. She's out _alone_… not under your watchful eye—" Wilson began in a leading tone.

"I'm at work all day. She's not under my watchful eye then," House pointed out in annoyance.

"Sophie told me that you pay Laidee extra to make sure that Cuddy only stays out for an hour," Wilson declared, folding his arms, a self- righteous smile appearing.

"I think it's time that Sophie learned how to do a prostate check in the Clinic next week," House decided.

Just then, Wilson's cell phone rang in his pocket.

Upon hearing the sound, House immediately and nervously dug his hand into his own jeans pocket at the same time, pulling out his phone quickly.

But when Wilson flipped open his own phone, House then realized with some embarrassment that it wasn't his phone that had rang.

"Hi honey," Wilson said on the other end.

House covertly slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"…What's in it?" Wilson said after a pause.

"… Ok… sounds good," he added.

Wilson then smiled after another pause in the conversation.

"I miss you too, _Docinho_," Wilson said into the phone, at which House popped an eyebrow. "See you soon."

"Ingrid's planning on making a _pudim de leite moça _tonight," Wilson told him, shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"What was that?" House demanded.

"It's a Brazilian dessert. I don't know," Wilson replied.

"Not that. What you _CALLED_ her," House clarified impatiently.

"Oh, '_docinho_?' It's a term of endearment. It means, '_sweetie_'" Wilson explained.

House smirked and shook his head. "You're whipped."

"Yeah, and you're not," Wilson shot back accusingly. "I saw you reach for your phone."

"That's because a phone _rang_," House said pedantically.

"My ring is completely different from your ring. There's NO way you could've mistaken it," Wilson stated.

House exhaled, avoiding Wilson's pointed stare.

"Yeah. You're not nervous at all, House," Wilson said sarcastically.

* * *

While House was at Wilson's apartment, Cuddy was finishing up the pomegranate frozen yogurt topped with mini dark chocolate chips she had ordered at _Red Mango_ as she strolled down the sidewalk of the strip mall, once in a while gazing into the windows of the boutiques along the way.

She stopped in front of _Katy Jades_, a posh baby and children's boutique, admiring the display in the window of onesies, receiving blankets and tiny shoes for both boys and girls.

She knew just by the look of the items that the merchandise inside the store had to be ridiculously overpriced.

But instead of resuming her walk, she quickly finished whatever was left of her yogurt and went inside the store.

Her heart fluttered just a bit upon entering the boutique, which was lavishly adorned with antique cribs, dressers and other layette items. Cuddy slowly made her way around the front of the store, her fingertips delicately brushing the items, trying not to get too excited by her surroundings.

"Can I help you?" a female voice asked nearby.

Cuddy looked up from the frilly onesie she was currently looking at to see a petite brunette, dressed impeccably in a wheat colored knee length skirt and a conservative cut light pink sleeveless silk blouse.

Cuddy suddenly felt underdressed in her yoga pants, cotton tank and sneakers.

"Just looking," she said politely.

"Is this your first?" the woman pressed cheerfully.

"…Yes," Cuddy answered reluctantly.

"How far along are you?" she asked.

"Excuse me?" Cuddy asked, her eyebrow arching slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable with the question.

"Our registry is very popular. And if you're early enough in your pregnancy, there would be plenty of time to order any custom items you might be interested in," the woman replied in a friendly manner.

Cuddy nodded, realizing that the woman's question was merely a sales pitch and not an invasion of her privacy.

"I'll have to come back with my husband if I'm going to register," Cuddy replied in an attempt to back her off, thinking to herself that House would never agree to have such frou- frou items for their child.

"Of course. Feel free to look around," the woman replied, turning on her heel, losing interest in Cuddy because she wasn't planning on buying anything today.

Cuddy nodded with a twisted smile, relieved that the perky woman had lost interest in her.

As she continued to walk around the boutique, a tiny voice inside her piped up, reminding her that she was only in her thirteenth week and that it was still too early to be thinking this way.

She had made it to the end of her first trimester, the furthest she had ever been in any pregnancy.

She rubbed her swollen belly, wondering if she was tempting fate by even being in the store.

"_I'M JUST LOOKING_," she convinced herself. "_IT'S NOT LIKE I'M BUYING ANYTHING_."

"_AND GREG WOULD HATE EVERYTHING IN HERE ANYWAY_," she reminded herself.

Suddenly, a neon green and purple crib with the word the word '_Gravedigger_' spray painted on the side flashed into her mind. She pressed her lips together to avoid laughing out loud in the middle of the boutique.

With that image in her mind, she left the store, deciding to wait until after her twenty week appointment to shop for a layette.

"_I WONDER IF THEY MAKE ONESIES WITH SKULLS AND CROSSBONES ON THEM_," she thought to herself with a grin.

TBC…

* * *

TO SEE A PICTURE OF CHASE'S ENGAGEMENT RING, CLICK ON THE LINK IN MY PROFILE. :D


	11. Chapter 11

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL POSTS! **

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D **

* * *

**CHAPTER 11: Please read and comment.**

That afternoon, Cuddy returned home, feeling great.

It was her first time going out by herself since she had been put on limited bed rest.

And for the first time since then, she felt human.

After stopping at Red Mango for frozen yogurt, she had stopped into an upscale baby boutique. After looking around at all the items, she couldn't wait to go onto her laptop and browse the internet for onesies with pictures of monster trucks on them.

She entered her home and headed into the kitchen with a smile on her face.

But when she did so, she stopped in her tracks, surprised to see House sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for her.

And he wasn't happy.

"You're late," he stated flatly.

"I am?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You were supposed to be home a half- hour ago."

"I guess I lost track of time," she said with a dismissive shrug.

House watched her as she headed for the refrigerator. He kept an even gaze on her as she took a bottle of water out and twisted open the top.

"What were you doing?" he asked her calmly.

"I was getting yogurt," she replied, bringing the bottle up to her lips. "You know that."

"You forget about the baby boutique and the book store?" he asked in a somewhat accusing tone.

Cuddy's eyes widened as she somehow managed to swallow the water that was in her mouth.

"You were _FOLLOWING_ me?" she asked, incredulous.

"Of course not. I sent _WILSON_ to follow you," he replied.

Cuddy just stood there, stymied.

"I know. What can I say? I'm a caring guy—" House began with false modesty.

"Are you _INSANE_?!" she exclaimed.

"You had Wilson _SPY_ on me?! I'm a grown woman! And I have a cell phone! You could've called me if you were worried about me!" she continued, angrily.

House just kept a placid gaze on her as she went on.

And as he did, she calmed down, immediately realizing House's motives.

"You didn't call me because you thought I'd _LIE_ to you," she stated.

House didn't say anything, his calm stare remaining, causing her to laugh in disgust.

"You thought I'd tell you that I was stuck in traffic or something like that so I could stay out just a little longer like a teenage girl out past her curfew," she spat out.

"You're only supposed to be out for an hour—" he began.

"A half- hour isn't going to make a difference!" she argued.

"_HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?!_" he yelled, losing his patience, standing up from the table abruptly.

She flinched at his outburst, actually stepping back a tiny bit as he advanced towards her.

"When you miscarried the last time, there were _NO SIGNS!_ It happened spontaneously! There was blood everywhere! You needed a D&C! Or did you forget already?" he demanded furiously, his face now inches from hers.

"…I didn't forget," she said softly, trembling slightly.

"Then unless you want to lose this baby too, _you'd better get your head out of your ass_!" he hollered at her.

She held still, struggling to keep her emotions in check. But her hormones were fighting against her.

And she was losing.

She pressed her lips together, ignoring the tears welling up in her eyes.

"I just… wanted to go out for a while," she managed to say.

She then left the kitchen, placing the water bottle on the table and headed down the hallway to the bedroom, leaving House alone in the kitchen.

Realizing what he had done, House ran his fingers through the front of his closely cropped hair, the guilt starting to rise inside him.

He hated guilt.

He had spent the better part of his adult life trying to suppress any feelings of guilt.

But he knew he couldn't avoid this.

He slowly made his way out of the kitchen and to their bedroom, finding Cuddy lying on her side, facing away from the door.

She was quiet, but he knew that she was crying.

House rubbed his forehead in aggravation before taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"You come in to insult me some more?" she asked with a sniff, her voice catching in her throat.

He tentatively placed a hand on her back, expecting her to shrug him off. But she didn't.

"…I'm sorry your hormones are making you so sensitive," he finally said.

She laughed curtly.

"You should write for Hallmark cards," she said with heavy sarcasm.

He drew in a breath, feeling even more frustrated. He knew that he sucked at being sympathetic.

But he also knew that he had to say something to her that wouldn't sound patronizing but yet caring at the same time.

"I'm not going to tell you that I understand what you're going through, because I don't," he began.

"But you've wanted a baby for so long. This is the furthest you've made it in any pregnancy. And I know you don't want to screw that up just for the chance to go shopping," he continued.

She sniffed again, nodding in agreement. She then rolled back towards him, wiping her eyes brusquely with the back of her hand.

"I know it's stupid. But when I went into that store… I felt like a normal pregnant woman," she confessed sadly.

"Have you been feeling depressed?" he asked her.

She shrugged, avoiding the clinical yet concerned look in his eyes.

Eyeing her latest romance novel on the night- stand, she sat up and opened to where she had flapped the page. Interpreting that as Cuddy's way of refusing to elaborate on her feelings, he nodded once.

"I'm going out for a while," he told her.

* * *

A short time later, House limped around to the backyard of Dr. Steven Sobol's large colonial home, finding Sobol doing laps in his back yard pool.

Upon reaching the deep end, Sobol, a man in his sixties and in excellent shape, executed a flawless flip turn and swam freestyle to the other end.

House met him on the shallow end of the pool. Aware of House's presence, Sobol stopped his stroke once he reached the end.

"Your wife told me where to find you," House said.

"Come to take a dip? I'm sure I've got a suit that fits you," Sobol said jovially.

"No thanks. The thought of guys sharing swim trunks gives me the willies," House said, taking a seat on a nearby lounge chair.

Sobol laughed as he stepped out of the pool, grabbing a towel and a nearby chair.

"So what's going on with Cuddy?" Sobol asked him, draping the towel around his neck, knowing that there would be no other reason for House to pay him a visit on a Saturday.

"She's depressed," House told him, appreciating that Sobol got right to the heart of the matter without wasting his time with small talk.

"That's common for women on bed rest," Sobol said, taking a seat next to House.

"Plenty of women bleed during pregnancy and they're not on bed rest," House pointed out.

Sobol gave him a closed lipped smile, saying nothing, realizing that House was trying to manipulate him into changing his medical opinion.

"And she's only lightly spotting. Her last exam was impeccable—" House continued.

"And we want things to _STAY_ that way, right?" Sobol asked in his usual calm demeanor.

"You're a conservative practitioner. Sometimes too conservative," House told him.

"So I should be a maverick like you? I'd rather be conservative than play games with people's lives," Sobol answered him lightly.

"We both know that you're only keeping her on limited bed rest because she's your _BOSS_ and that you're afraid of being sued, fired and eventually losing your practice," House told him, his eyes intent on the older doctor.

But Sobol refused to be intimidated.

"I think every doctor except for you has those same exact fears," he replied calmly.

House kept his gaze on Sobol, showing him that he wasn't about to let up. Sobol exhaled, sitting back in his chair.

"I completely respect the fact that you're concerned about her well being—" he began.

"She didn't argue with me," House interrupted flatly.

Sobol raised an eyebrow, not sure why House would point this out to him.

"She went out today for the first time by herself since she's been restricted. She came home a half- hour later than she was supposed to, I yelled at her right in her face for not following your orders and she didn't argue with me," House explained.

"She just gave up, went into the bedroom and cried," he added.

Sobol nodded in understanding, mulling over what House had just told him.

He had known Lisa Cuddy for a long time, and he had never known her to back away from a fight, especially if it was with House.

"…When's her next appointment?" Sobol finally asked him.

"Three weeks," House replied.

"Tell her to come in on Friday. If the spotting stays minimal during this entire week, I'll lessen her restrictions," Sobol told him.

"But I still can't let her go back to work," he added firmly.

"Ok," House agreed, satisfied with his response. The two men got up from their chairs.

"I suppose you want to know if I'm going to give you the green light for sex," Sobol mentioned.

"Nope," House told him.

He then turned around and left Sobol's backyard, leaving the older doctor quite surprised.

* * *

That evening, Chase and Sophie were standing in the lobby of Tre Piani, a chic Italian restaurant in downtown Princeton, waiting for Wilson, Ingrid and her parents to arrive.

"Do you want to sit?" Chase asked her.

"I'm fine," she assured him.

Chase smiled as he gave her a lingering once over. She was wearing a halter maxi dress with an empire waist and a subtle floral print with sling back heeled sandals. The style of the dress accented her voluptuous breasts and her slightly swollen belly, making her pregnancy noticeable for the first time.

"You look gorgeous," he murmured, wrapping his arm around her waist.

Sophie smiled at him, loving how handsome he looked in an off white linen button down shirt and slacks. "So do you."

"You're staring at it again," he teased.

"I am _not_," she protested.

Chase arched his eyebrow, not believing her for a minute.

"Ok, I am," she acquiesced, playfully tousling the front of his now drastically short hair.

After she had proposed to him on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art earlier that day, Chase decided to celebrate by stopping into a barber on the upper east side.

"You hate it, right?" he asked, running his fingers through the front, smoothing it down.

"I actually _love_ it," she said, her eyes sparkling.

"You're not upset that I cut it so short?" he asked, pulling her closer and draping his arms loosely about her waist.

"I was at first…" she said, shrugging lightly, placing her arms around his neck.

"But I have to say, you look really hot with short hair," she admitted.

He gave her a sexy smile and brushed his lips against hers, a delicious tingle radiating through her at his kiss. She threaded her fingers through the back of his hair, which was now cropped neatly at the nape of his neck, his skin feeling so soft against her fingertips.

"I can't wait to be alone with you tonight," he murmured against her lips.

At this, her feeling of arousal quickly changed to anxiety as he continued to kiss her in the lobby of the restaurant.

She and Chase hadn't been intimate in months.

And she felt stupid admitting to him that she was scared of having sex while she was pregnant.

She had been rationalizing all afternoon that millions of women had sex during pregnancy. And if there were truly something to worry about, Chase would have told her.

"_YOU CUT YOUR HAIR_?!" a familiar male voice exclaimed behind Chase.

They broke off their kiss turning towards the sound. Sophie breathed a tiny sigh of relief upon seeing Wilson and Ingrid behind Chase. She kissed them both hello. Chase kissed Ingrid on the cheek and went to shake Wilson's hand.

But Wilson continued to stare at Chase in utter shock.

"Yes, I cut my hair," Chase said in exasperation. "Nice to see you, too," he added, deadpan.

"You look wonderful," Ingrid told him. "Very sexy."

"Told you," Sophie agreed with a grin, admiring how exotic and lovely Ingrid looked in a royal blue sundress that wrapped around her waist that showed off her curvy, yet athletic figure. Her bronze stiletto sandals elongated her legs, which were accented by the knee length hem on the dress.

"Are they here yet?" Wilson asked them, the anxiety evident in his voice as he looked around for his parents.

"No. And stop worrying," Sophie told him.

"He has been impossible all day," Ingrid complained jokingly, putting her arm around Wilson.

Sophie laughed. "That doesn't surprise me."

"So I hear that you proposed to him?" Ingrid asked enthusiastically.

"She even bought me a ring," Chase said, proudly showing her the Tioro male engagement band that Sophie had surprised him with earlier that day.

"This is beautiful," Ingrid said sincerely as she examined the ring on Chase's left ring finger. "Very masculine."

"My girl's got impeccable taste," Chase bragged with a dazzling smile.

Wilson felt like he was going to vomit.

"I'm never gonna hear the end of it tonight," he muttered.

"It is so romantic that you proposed to him," Ingrid continued, ignoring Wilson's whining.

"Well, to be fair, he proposed to me first," Sophie said all smiles as Chase pulled her close to his side and kissed her cheek.

"You're driving home, because I plan on having a few," Wilson told Ingrid.

At this, Ingrid, kissed Wilson gently on the lips.

"I will be right back, meu gato," she told him sweetly before excusing herself and heading to the ladies room.

Wilson smiled as he watched her leave, focusing on her perfectly sculpted ass. Chase shifted his gaze, watching her leave as well, trying not to make it too obvious that he was focusing on Ingrid's perfectly sculpted ass.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but she's wearing underwear," Sophie snarked, causing Chase to spin around, astonished.

"I wasn't looking—" Chase began in protest.

"I was," Sophie interrupted him with a smirk.

"Did you tell mom and dad that you two are back together?" Wilson asked, changing the subject.

Still thinking about what Sophie had just said, Chase slowly turned back to Wilson.

"…Not yet," Chase said, still distracted by the naughty images forming in his mind of Sophie and Ingrid.

"So you two are going to surprise them with the announcement of your renewed engagement at dinner, making me look even worse by comparison," Wilson concluded.

"Pretty much," Sophie agreed with an impish grin.

"I'm in hell," Wilson muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Oh stop bitching already," Sophie told him.

"Yeah. Seriously," Chase agreed, causing Sophie to laugh out loud.

Wilson shot a glare at Chase and then shrugged nonchalantly.

"S'ok. The odds'll be even once House sees you wearing that engagement ring on Monday," Wilson said to him lightly.

Chase arched his eyebrow, glancing at the ring Sophie bought him.

House's reaction to it had never occurred to him.

He cringed inwardly, imagining the torture he was going to undergo come Monday, already thinking of plausible excuses to give Sophie as to why he couldn't wear it to work.

"Your pregnant fiancée walked forty blocks to get you that ring. You're _not_ taking it off," Sophie told him flatly, already knowing what he was thinking.

Wilson grinned, triumphant in the knowledge that House was going to make Chase miserable come Monday and that there was nothing he could do about it.

"There they are," Sophie said, waving her parents over as she spotted them entering the restaurant, earning a glare from Wilson.

Martin and Susan Wilson made their way through the lobby of the restaurant, greeting and kissing Wilson and Sophie hello.

"You cut your hair!" Susan Wilson said to Chase with a huge smile on her face.

"Yeah," he said with a friendly smile, accepting her hug and kiss on his cheek.

"It looks great!" she told him.

"Thank you," he replied, shaking Martin's hand.

"We're so glad you came tonight. We've really missed you," Susan told him.

Just then, Ingrid came out of the ladies room. Wilson felt a wave of anxiety as she walked towards them, forcing a smile.

Once she reached them, Wilson stood up a little straighter and put his arm around her.

"Mom, dad I'd like you to meet Ingrid Oliviera," Wilson told them.

"It is such a pleasure to meet you both," Ingrid said sweetly, extending her hand.

For a moment, both Martin and Susan just stared at her.

"… It's… a pleasure to meet you too," Martin finally said, shaking her hand.

Ingrid kept a confident smile on her face as she gave her hand to Susan, who shook it in kind.

"...Yes, a pleasure," Susan agreed, wondering why her son didn't bother to tell her that he was dating someone.

The six of them stood there in the lobby, saying nothing, an awkward silence developing between all of them.

"Wilson, party of 6?" the hostess called out.

"Yes, that's us!" Wilson immediately piped up.

"Please follow me," the hostess told them.

As the six of them followed the hostess to their table, Wilson could feel the anxiety start to bubble up his throat.

Ingrid squeezed his hand, hoping that he would grow a spine before they ordered their dinner.

TBC…


	12. Chapter 12

**HI EVERYONE!**

**SORRY FOR THE WAIT. THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING SO PATIENT, FOR READING, AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL POSTS! I RESPONDED TO THEM INDIVIDUALLY.**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**GOT AN INTERESTING PLOT TWIST COMING UP...**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D **

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**CHAPTER 12: Please read and comment.**

A short time later, Wilson, Ingrid, Chase, Sophie and Wilson's parents were seated at a round table in _Tre Piani_, nursing their drinks, having already placed their dinner orders.

No one had said a word to each other since they had been seated.

Sophie had quickly helped herself to two pieces of bread and olive oil as soon as the waiter had brought the bread basket over to their table and was now on her third piece when Martin finally broke the tense silence at the table.

"So how did you two meet?" Martin asked Wilson and Ingrid with a smile.

"Ingrid works at the hospital. She's a masseuse," Wilson said in a rather flat tone, eyeing his mother for some type of disapproving look.

But there was none.

"And are you from Spain?" Susan asked in a friendly manner.

Ingrid opened her mouth to answer Susan's question, but Wilson interrupted her before she could say anything.

"_Brazil_," Wilson corrected her curtly.

Chase raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, finding himself entertained by Wilson's defensive demeanor to his parents. Sophie remained silent, eating the bread, trying to fight a grin that was forming on her face.

Ingrid gently touched Wilson's lap, giving him a gentle, yet reproachful glance, her eyes letting him know that it was perfectly fine for his parents to ask her questions.

"Yes, I am from Brazil," she told Wilson's parents, as if apologizing for Wilson's behavior.

"And how long have you been living in the United States?" Susan continued.

"I have been here now for… nine years," she replied, smiling fondly.

"And before you ask, she's not an American citizen. She's here on a work visa," Wilson stated abruptly with an edge to his voice.

Chase's eyes widened even more. Sophie could no longer keep the grin off her face.

But when she saw Ingrid's face flush with embarrassment, her smile immediately disappeared.

"Jimmy, _stop_ it," she said, turning to her brother in a hushed whisper, feeling embarrassed for Ingrid as she looked down at her lap.

"I wasn't going to ask that, James," Susan said coolly after exchanging a glance with Martin.

"No? Well maybe you want to know how _old_ she is," Wilson shot back, folding his arms across the table.

"James, _calm down_," Susan scolded her son in a low tone, leaning across the table as she spoke.

"She's twenty- seven," Wilson stated ignoring his mother's and sister's chidings.

"She's twenty- seven, and I'm forty, and the only reason why you're being so _nice_ right now is because we're in a public place," he added bitingly.

"Are you enjoying yourself? Because the only thing you're accomplishing right now is embarrassing Ingrid," Susan told him.

"You think that I'm rushing into another relationship with someone much too young for me because I'm on the rebound after breaking off my engagement and I'm miserable," Wilson continued angrily, completely ignoring the fact that Ingrid was mortified next to him.

Her face had turned a deeper shade of red and she was looking down at her lap.

Chase and Sophie were looking at each other uncomfortably, having no idea what they should do.

"Well I've got news for you mom. I'm happy. I'm _INCREDIBLY_ happy. Ingrid is the best thing that's happened to me in a long time and you're just going to have to deal with that!" Wilson declared.

"And when did you get the impression that I didn't want you to be happy?" Susan asked him, meeting his accusing eyes with a pointed stare.

Wilson opened his mouth, ready to lash out at his mother again.

But he slowly closed it, completely caught off guard by her question.

"You honestly think I asked you out for dinner because I wanted to nag you about your personal life in a public place?" she asked him, her eyebrows raised.

Wilson glanced at his father briefly, who shook his head once as a warning to his son.

"…_No?_…" Wilson mumbled, a little unsure.

"I just want to _see_ you. You're always working. Your father and I never know what's going on with you," she explained.

Now it was Wilson's cheeks that were burning with humiliation. He grabbed his wine and took a generous sip.

"Now apologize to Ingrid for being a jerk so we can enjoy our evening," Susan told him reproachfully.

Wilson, now thoroughly humiliated, put down his wine glass and turned to Ingrid, feeling even worse at how embarrassed she was by his behavior.

"… I'm sorry," he mumbled.

But she only nodded quietly, refused to meet his eyes.

Susan exhaled, knowing that it was up to her to diffuse the tension and apologize for her son or the rest of the evening would be unbearable.

"Ingrid, please forgive my son. He's been hanging around Greg House for way too long and feels the need to deconstruct everyone he knows, including his mother," she told Ingrid, deadpanned.

At this, Ingrid looked up and laughed slightly, feeling a little more relaxed.

She then turned to Wilson, whose face was still as red as a beet.

"…I am really the best thing that has happened to you in a long time?" she asked him shyly.

"Yes," he told her softly.

Ingrid leaned closer to him and placed a tiny kiss on his lips.

"Then you are forgiven for being a jerk," she told him, causing everyone to laugh at the table.

Still laughing, Chase reached over to Sophie's small bread plate and attempted to snag a piece.

"I'm pregnant. Get your own," she told him, swatting his hand away.

With that movement of her daughter's left hand, Susan's eyes were drawn to the sparkle glinting from her ring finger.

"What is _THAT_?" Susan demanded.

Sophie looked at her mother, bewildered.

"On your _finger_," Susan clarified, jutting her chin towards Sophie's left hand.

Sophie smiled at her mother.

"My engagement ring," she said coyly.

"You wanna see mine?" Chase asked, with an impish grin as Chase held up his hand for Susan to see the men's engagement ring that Sophie had bought for him.

Susan only stared at the two of them blankly. A broad smile appeared on Martin's face as he looked at his wife's dumbfounded expression.

"This morning, your daughter asked me to marry her…" Chase began, taking Sophie's hand and caressing it with his thumb.

"…And I said yes," he said happily.

For a moment, still stunned, Susan didn't say anything.

"Oh thank _GOD_!!" she finally exclaimed, causing a few patrons in the restaurant to turn their heads towards their table.

She got up from the table and walked around to both Chase and her daughter, where she promptly hugged them and kissed them on their cheeks. Martin followed suit, hugging Chase and giving his daughter a hug and a kiss on her cheek as well.

"So we can call the resort in Antigua and rebook everything?" Susan said excitedly as she and Martin sat back down in their seats.

"We don't want to get married in Antigua," Sophie told him.

"Why not?" Susan asked, a little surprised.

"…I'm a little nervous about traveling while I'm pregnant," she admitted.

"You're still in your first trimester. You can still travel in October," Wilson argued. "Nothing will happen to the baby if you fly for a few hours."

Sophie shook her head vehemently. "I don't want to risk it."

Wilson shrugged in response, taking another sip of his wine.

Chase placed his arm around Sophie a little defensively, wondering if Wilson's response to Sophie had something to do with his earlier embarrassment or if it was something else.

"We'd still like to have an outdoor wedding," Sophie told her parents, ignoring her brother for the moment.

"Which means that you'll have to get married in the next two months," Martin pointed out.

"Or we can wait until next year," Chase offered.

"_No_," Sophie stated firmly.

As Chase popped an eyebrow at Sophie's insistence, she then turned towards him, placing her hand on his lap.

"You've waited long enough for me to come to my senses," she said regretfully.

"I want to be your wife," she told him, her voice full of emotion.

Chase smiled and kissed her gently, earning a warm smile from both Ingrid and Susan.

"And I want to be your husband," he said softly.

Despite the fact that he still felt a little like a jerk, Wilson couldn't help but smile a little as well.

"Well then we're going to have to move quickly. We need to find a place for the reception, a band, a photographer, flowers, your dress—" Susan rattled off, her enthusiasm running away with her.

"I don't think I'm gonna fit into my dress anymore, mom," Sophie said in a leading tone, glancing down at her own breasts and then looking back up at her mother with a smirk.

Susan glanced at her daughter's breasts, which had grown at least an entire cup size and were practically spilling out of the neckline of her dress.

Chase had been trying not to leer at them all night, but now since everyone at the table was getting an eyeful, he figured he might as well, too.

"Then we'll have it altered," Susan replied.

"The dress was form fitting and it was strapless. They'll have to redo the whole thing," Sophie pointed out.

"Don't worry about it," Susan said dismissively with a wave of her hand.

"You know, they have an outdoor terrace here and the food is fabulous. I wonder if they do weddings?" Susan continued, looking around the chic restaurant for any employee she could find to ask about catering.

"You guys need a new car? Your mortgage paid off? You could pretty much ask her for anything at this point," Wilson mumbled to Sophie under his breath as he leaned over to both her and Chase.

"You jealous?" Sophie asked with a sly smile, earning a derisive snort from her brother.

While watching her parents out of the corner of her eye as they chatted animatedly with the manager, who Susan had successfully flagged down from across the room, Sophie leaned over to Chase, placing her arm around the back of his chair.

"So did you get a good look- see at the girls?" Sophie teased him.

"I sure did," he said, grinning.

"You don't mind my parents taking over the wedding plans?" she asked him.

"Less work for us, right?" he reasoned, brushing a stray hair away from her face.

"And you don't care that we're not going to Antigua for the wedding?"

"I just want to marry you. I don't care how we do it," he told her sincerely.

Sophie smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips, nuzzling her nose just a bit against his.

"Do you think what you bought for our wedding night still fits?" he murmured softly into her ear.

"…I'm... not sure," she replied, matching his soft tone, the nervousness she had felt earlier that evening flooding back in full force.

"Because I'd love to see you in it," he whispered, his lips just brushing the shell of her ear as he mistook her anxiety for demure sexiness.

* * *

Later that evening, the six of them returned to Wilson's apartment for dessert.

"Mmm. Ingrid, this is _FANTASTIC_," Martin said as he savored the pudim de leite moça that Ingrid had made that afternoon.

"I am so glad you like it. If you wish, I can give you the recipe," she offered.

"No way. He'll nag me to make it every day and then we'll both gain twenty pounds," Susan joked, eagerly taking another spoonful.

"So we'll join a gym," Martin said dismissively.

"You should both come into Manhattan for dinner some time. There's a great Brazilian place on 92nd street called Zebu Grill. People rave about it," Susan said.

"I would love that," Ingrid said with a broad smile.

"We went to Beco recently. It was amazing," Wilson told them.

As Susan, Martin, Wilson and Ingrid continued to chat about Brazilian cuisine, Chase noticed that Sophie had only taken a small bite of her dessert.

"You ok?" he asked her quietly.

"I'm fine," she replied with a nod, forcing a smile.

"Are you feeling nauseous? We had a big dinner—"

"No, I'm all right," she assured him.

"We can go soon if you like," he told her, rubbing her knee gently under the table.

"I don't want to be rude," she told him.

Chase gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment.

"Come on," he said, tugging at the skirt of her dress.

* * *

A few moments later, Chase and Sophie were standing out in the middle of the hallway of Wilson's apartment where they could have some privacy.

"What's wrong?" he asked her gently.

"Nothing," she insisted.

"You don't want to go home, because you know when we get home that we're going to have sex, and you're nervous about it," Chase told her with a knowing look and a small, lopsided smile.

For a moment, Sophie kept a straight face.

But Chase's adorable gaze was her undoing. She let out a sheepish laugh.

"I gotta go back to the poker tables. I'm losing my touch at hiding things from you," she joked.

Chase's smile widened as he wrapped his arms loosely about her waist, pulling her closer to him. He pressed his forehead against hers and kissed the tip of her nose.

"…We can't… hurt the baby, right?" she asked with another tiny laugh.

"No, we can't hurt the baby," he reassured her gently.

"…Are you sure?"

"The baby's very well protected and is about as big as the palm of your hand right now," he reminded her.

"That's true," she admitted.

"But that's not the only reason why you're nervous," he said.

Sophie drew in a breath and exhaled, still hesitant to admit the truth to him. Feeling how tense she was against his body, Chase waited patiently, caressing her lower back to relax her.

"It's… been a while… and I don't know if I'm in the mood like you are," she finally said, her voice quivering a bit.

"I understand. Your body's going through a lot of changes," he said.

She nodded against his forehead, closing her eyes, her churning emotions and her pregnancy hormones getting the best of her. She tried to control the tears that were welling up in her eyes, but she just wasn't able to.

"I would never pressure you. We don't have to if you don't want to," he said.

"But _you_ want to," she said sadly.

"And I don't want our sex life to turn into you watching porn On Demand after I fall asleep," she added, a few tears escaping and running down her cheeks.

Chase backed up slightly and touched her chin so she would meet his eyes. She laughed with embarrassment as he brushed away the tears on her cheek with his thumb.

"When do the _happy_ pregnancy hormones kick in?" she joked with a sniff.

"In a few weeks," he told her, grinning.

"Thank god," she said.

Chase laughed and pulled her into a hug. She exhaled again, finally relaxed against him as he held her close.

"…Maybe… we could watch one of the On Demand movies together?" he suggested tentatively.

She laughed against his shoulder. "… Maybe."

As he backed up a bit to kiss her, Wilson came storming out of the apartment with his keys in his hand, his face full of aggravation, startling both of them.

"What's wrong?" Sophie asked.

"Cuddy just called. I have to go over to her place right now," Wilson told her.

"Is she ok?" Chase asked with concern.

"She's fine. Apparently there's a ton of money missing and unaccounted for in the last budget report. She's FURIOUS," Wilson told him.

"She's blaming _YOU_ for the missing money?" Sophie asked in disbelief.

"I signed off on it, so it's my mistake," he muttered. "It's millions of dollars."

Chase arched his eyebrow, wondering how Wilson could have missed an accounting error that large.

He then remembered how weird Wilson had been acting earlier that evening at the restaurant.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Wilson said distractedly as he hurried down the hallway.

TBC…


	13. Chapter 13

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS FOR BEING SO PATIENT AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS!**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 13: Please read and comment.**

It only took ten minutes for Wilson to drive up to Cuddy and House's place.

He turned off the engine but remained in the driver's seat, debating if he should just back out of their driveway and never come back.

Knowing that wasn't a realistic option, he took a deep breath to prepare himself before undoing his seatbelt and getting out of the car. He walked up the walkway to the door, filled with dread.

But before he could even get to the front steps, House had already opened the door and was waiting for him in the doorway clad only in a light pair of plaid pajama pants and a Rolling Stones t- shirt, leaning heavily on his cane.

For a moment, Wilson stopped in the middle of the walkway, House's stare penetrating right through him.

Reluctantly, he made his way to the door, expecting House to move aside and let him in.

But House didn't budge.

"Are you gonna let me in?" Wilson asked.

"_No_," House stated flatly, still staring him down.

Wilson's eyes went wide.

"Cuddy _called_ me!" he exclaimed.

"And because you screwed up, my chances of getting some tonight just went out the window!" House shot back.

At this, Wilson' furrowed his brow.

"Sobol cleared your for sex?" Wilson asked with interest.

"No, but…" House began as Wilson's eyebrows shot up even further, eagerly waiting for a more detailed explanation.

House rolled his eyes skyward. "I'm not drawing you a diagram," he muttered.

"_IS THAT WILSON?!_" yelled Cuddy from somewhere inside the house.

Wilson winced at the shrill and angry sound of her voice.

"She sounds pissed," Wilson said nervously.

House then backed up and made a sweeping gesture with his arm to let Wilson in.

"Better at you than at me for a change," House told him.

* * *

After following House to his and Cuddy's bedroom, Wilson tentatively stood in the doorway as House sat back down on the bed, next to Cuddy.

She was clad in a red v- neck t- shirt and white yoga pants, sitting with her legs folded like a pretzel on the bed, rubbing her forehead in extreme aggravation. Her laptop and the budget spreadsheets that Wilson had been bringing her periodically were splayed out all over the bed.

"…H-hi," Wilson began tentatively.

Cuddy turned to him, with a piercing stare, making Wilson feel like his insides were shriveling up.

"'_Hi_?' _That's_ what you say?!" she demanded angrily.

Wishing he could just disappear, Wilson meekly entered the bedroom, standing at an awkward distance from the bed.

"… How much is missing?" he asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Fifteen million dollars," she stated, slowly and evenly with a hard edge to her voice.

Wilson's complexion went white as his eyes almost popped out of his head.

"That's… _IMPOSSIBLE_! If fifteen million dollars was missing, I… I… I would have seen it!" he stammered.

"Apparently not," House snarked.

"Not helping," Wilson muttered through gritted teeth under his breath to House.

"You think this is a _JOKE_?!" Cuddy snapped, causing both men to flinch slightly.

"If this isn't a massive accounting mistake, then it's _EMBEZZLEMENT_! Once word of this gets out, we'll lose even _more_ money! Grants, private donors, charities, they'll _ALL_ stop their funding!" she exclaimed.

She screwed her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead again, feeling a massive headache coming on.

She finally threw her hands up, shaking her head as they came down onto her lap.

"I have to go in to work on Monday and try to figure this out," she finally said.

"No you don't," House stated firmly.

"People are going to lose their jobs. We could _all_ lose our jobs. The hospital could get shut down. I _HAVE_ to go in!" Cuddy argued vehemently.

"No you _DON'T_!" House repeated, even more irate that she would even consider going into the hospital.

"The Board is going to want an explanation," she told him.

Wilson merely watched the two of them in silence, darting his head back and forth, as if he was watching a tennis match, not daring to say anything. House glanced at Wilson, knowing he was too much of a wimp at the moment to offer a solution.

"You're on leave. You can deal with the board over the phone, fax and email. While you do that, we'll snoop around and try to find an answer to this," House told her, jutting his head at Wilson.

"We _WILL??_" Wilson asked, stunned.

House shot him a hard look, making Wilson stand up just a little straighter.

"We will," Wilson repeated confidently.

"You both have practices to run," Cuddy reminded them.

"We're both department heads. Our lackeys can do the doctor stuff for us," House told her.

Wilson nodded in agreement, having no idea what else to do.

He then sank down on House and Cuddy's bed in defeat, leaning his back against the headboard. Cuddy sighed deeply and did the same.

House watched them as they leaned against each other, shoulder to shoulder, with a raised eyebrow.

"Ok, this scenario is _NEVER_ what I have in mind when I fantasize about a threesome," House stated.

Cuddy gave him a withered look, while Wilson just furrowed his brow in confusion, too distracted to make sense of what House was implying.

"Apparently I _DO_ have to draw you a diagram. Get out!!" House barked at Wilson, causing him to jump up from the bed.

"…You sure you don't need me—" Wilson began, addressing Cuddy.

"Just go," she muttered half- heartedly, feeling her world coming apart right in front of her.

* * *

After Wilson left the bedroom and let himself out, Cuddy was still sitting up on the bed, her legs now stretched out in front of her, her back leaned up against the headboard, the spreadsheets still surrounding her.

House had walked Wilson out and came back to the bedroom with a bag of Oreos that he had found in a cabinet above the sink. He had already opened the package and had one in his mouth.

Cuddy glared at him. "Don't eat those in the bed. You'll make crumbs," she mumbled.

"You really care about that right now?" he asked as he took a seat next to her on the bed, offering her the bag.

She paused only for a moment before giving into her sudden craving for sugar, taking an Oreo out of the package.

"You and Wilson shouldn't be taking care of this. _I_ should be taking care of this," she told him as she ate the cookie.

"You _are_ taking care of this. We're just doing the dirty work. Which to me is always the fun part," he replied.

"I don't know how you're gonna figure this out. The money isn't missing from one department. It's missing from everywhere," she reminded him.

"Which means either Wilson sucks at math… or whoever did this knew what they were doing and were smart enough to cover their tracks," House said.

She nodded in reluctant agreement, feeling a headache coming on.

She then leaned heavily against House's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I don't wanna think about this anymore tonight," she declared.

House placed the package of Oreos on the nightstand and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. Inhaling his clean scent, she relaxed against him, gently caressing his chest as he rubbed her tricep.

They were silent for a few moments, House racking his brain trying to figure out how he could possibly get Cuddy naked in her current state of anguish without her slapping him in the face.

"This couldn't have just happened over the last few months that I've been out on leave," she suddenly said, staring at a random spot on the far wall of the bedroom.

House glanced down at her, having the sinking feeling that his chances of getting any action tonight were pretty slim.

"I thought you didn't want to think about this anymore tonight," he commented.

"This must've been going on for a long time. That amount of money can't just disappear that quickly without someone noticing," Cuddy continued, completely ignoring House.

House exhaled deeply, now sure that he wasn't getting any tonight.

He picked up the remote and turned on the TV, only half listening to Cuddy continue to try to solve the mystery of the missing money.

"Unless they _KNEW_ that I was leaving and they knew that Wilson was taking over my job and thought he'd be too inexperienced or stupid to notice fifteen million dollars missing," she said in a conspiratorial tone, sitting up on the bed as she spoke.

"Yeah. _SO_ glad you're not fixating on this," he said sarcastically as he surfed the channels.

"Why are you _NOT_ fixating on this?!" she demanded.

"Because I'm untouchable," he said with an unconcerned shrug. "I'm your hospital's most valuable resource, remember?"

"That's not funny," she told him flatly.

"What can you realistically do about any of this tonight?" he asked her.

"… Nothing," she admitted.

"So then why bother getting your panties in a twist over it?" he said.

Cuddy snorted, deciding not to read too much into the panty remark.

"C'mere," he told her, spreading his legs apart, motioning for her to sit in between them.

She looked at him with slight suspicion at first, but then situated herself in between his legs, facing away from him.

As he started to rub her shoulders and neck gently, she lolled her head back, moaning in pleasure and appreciation.

"You need to relax," he told her.

"Mhm," she murmured, closing her eyes, loving how his hands felt as they worked her muscles.

"Stress isn't good for you _or_ the baby," he continued.

"I know. You're right," she acquiesced.

Taking advantage of the situation, House reached around to the front of her body and lightly fondled her breasts with the same massaging motion, at which she opened one eye.

"Is feeling _me_ up good for the baby?" she snarked.

"It's good for _me_," he replied.

"You honestly think that I'm in the mood to fool around after all this?" she asked him, slightly incredulous.

"You don't have to do anything," he told her. "Just enjoy."

A laugh escaped her lips. "So I'm just gonna sit here while you just use my breasts as your personal playground, regardless of this current crisis," she clarified.

"And how exactly do your breasts impact this current crisis… or vice versa?" he pointed out.

"…Oh all right," she muttered, knowing all too well that House would keep pestering her until she gave into him.

She lay back on his chest while he continued to caress her breasts very gently over her t- shirt, the tiniest triumphant smile forming on his face.

Having a feeling he was grinning at the moment, she smirked as well, actually enjoying his gentle touch. She closed her eyes again as he caressed her, neither of them saying anything for another few moments.

He then slipped his hands underneath her t- shirt, stroking her nipples with his thumbs.

"Damn...." she whispered sexily.

"...Feel like getting your panties in a twist—" he began.

"No," she interrupted him flatly.

* * *

Sophie had changed out of her dress and was wearing a dark grey cotton camisole and matching low cut boyshorts. Chase, lying next to her on the bed in his boxers and a white t- shirt, was enthusiastically scrolling through the On Demand porn choices that Cinemax had to offer.

"Just so we're clear. It's not gonna be the pizza man making a delivery to a sorority house or a women's prison, right?" she asked with a smirk.

"You don't trust me?" Chase asked, giving her a sexy, lopsided smile.

"Should I?" she asked coyly.

"I'm insulted," he said in mock protest. "And since when does Dominos deliver to prisons?"

She grinned, watching him continue to scroll through the choices.

"Here we go," he said, finally settling on something.

Sophie arched an eyebrow. "'_Fantasy Nights?_'" she read off the TV screen with a grimace.

"You'll like this," he assured her.

Sophie gave him a look of disbelief before laying down on the bed on her side, facing away from him. Chase quickly scooted up behind her, his front pressed up against her back. He snaked his arm underneath her pillow and draped his other arm across her hip.

"So how bad is the dialogue?" she asked him, getting comfortable.

"They don't talk much," he quipped, pulling her closer against him.

As they quietly watched the movie together, a thirty- minute short feature about a couple who wanted to spice things up in the bedroom, Chase slipped his hand underneath the hem of Sophie's cami and caressed the soft skin on her hip. She smiled, loving how his hands felt on her.

"That's nice," she murmured softly.

"Good," he whispered, nuzzling his nose against her cheek as he lightly wrapped his leg over hers.

As the movie continued, Sophie felt herself become aroused by the action on the screen. Her clit tingled as she watched the man peel the woman's t- shirt off her body, revealing perky, yet incredibly voluptuous naked breasts. Sophie gasped slightly as the man cupped the woman's breasts, licking and sucking on her erect nipple.

"You like that?" he asked her huskily, his cock stiffening at her response to the movie.

"Yes…" she whispered, Chase's low tone arousing her even more.

Chase continued to caress her hip and brushed his lips against the back of her neck. A delectable chill coursed through her, her breath quickening as he kissed her.

Between the scene on the TV and feeling Sophie become excited, Chase's cock was already throbbing. He hadn't been this close to her in a long time. And his erection up against her ass felt so damn good.

His own breath shallowing, Chase slowly trailed his hand up her torso underneath her camisole and placed it gingerly on her breast. He barely touched her, just lightly running over her breast with his fingers, brushing her nipple with his thumb. She whimpered in pleasure, lolling her head back against his chest.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked.

"No…"

Chase's cock was throbbing so much that he thought he was going to explode.

Taking a chance, he gently rolled her onto her back, slipping his hands between her thighs. She gasped again, meeting his eyes, which were glittering with lust.

"Watch the movie," he murmured.

By now, the woman in the movie was completely naked and had straddled the man, slowly and expertly riding his cock, arching her head back, her breasts bouncing, sexy cries emanating from her ruby red lips.

As Sophie's chest rose and fell with each breath, Chase slipped his hand underneath her boyshorts, finding her incredibly wet and soft.

"_Oh god_…" she cried out softly, thrusting her hips up against his hand, her clit begging for more.

"Just watch…" he repeated as he began to trace tiny circles over her clit with his thumb as he curled two fingers inside her.

She gasped for breath as the intense feeling between her legs heightened, struggling to keep her eyes open as watched the man in the movie flutter his tongue against the woman's nipple while impaling herself on his cock.

"That's how I want you, baby…" Chase whispered against her ear

"_Ohh!_" she wailed, tipping hard and fast over the edge. Her entire body tense as she came, lights flashing behind her eyelids.

Chase remained silent as he fingered her through her pleasure, making sure she enjoyed every moment.

It took a good few minutes for her to come down. She finally took a deep breath, relaxing against him.

"God, you're beautiful," he breathed.

"That was _amazing_," she said, still trying to catch her breath.

"Orgasms can be more intense during pregnancy—"

"It's not the pregnancy," she interrupted him.

"It's _you_," she said, her love for him overwhelming her.

He pulled her close, engulfing her in a lingering kiss, his tongue teasing hers. Somehow, they managed to pull off her camisole and his t- shirt while they did so, exploring each other's lips hungrily.

Feeling a wonderful renewed sense of arousal, she peeled off her panties and helped him off with his boxers. Now completely naked, she pushed Chase down onto his back on the bed and straddled him, her legs on either side of him, her eyes filled with passion.

"Is this how you want me?" She hovered over him, her hair falling all around him, her voluptuous breasts his for the taking.

"God, _yes_," he said desperately, reaching up to cup her breasts as gently as he could, his eyes raking over her beautiful curves. His cock throbbed even more so as his eyes came down to her slightly swollen belly.

He positioned his shaft inside her, holding her hips as she rolled them towards him, He thrust up into her, making her arching back with each move. She then grabbed the headboard, using it for leverage as she thrust even harder against him.

Feeling almost there, he lifted up his body and latched onto her nipple, grazing it with his teeth, closing his soft full lips around her areola.

"_Oh god… Robbie…_" she whimpered.

She tightened around him, milking him hard of his orgasm. He cried out into the darkness of their bedroom, his body shuddering with each aftershock.

Afterwards, she collapsed onto the bed next to him, both of them gasping for breath.

"… Are you ok…" Chase finally managed to say, his eyes half closed.

"Mhm…" she said, exhaling deeply.

As they enjoyed the afterglow, Sophie felt herself start to drift off.

"There's no _way_ her breasts are real...." Sophie murmured, already mostly asleep.

Chase chuckled and closed his eyes, Sophie's head against his shoulder, her arm draped over his bare chest.

"And how do you know that?" he asked lazily.

She never answered him, falling asleep with an extremely satisfied smile on her face.

TBC...


	14. Chapter 14

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM.**

**I WANTED TO GET THIS CHAPTER UP BEFORE THE SUPERBOWL, JUST IN CASE ANYONE HAS PLANS TO WATCH IT. :)**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D **

* * *

**CHAPTER 14: Please read and comment.**

**MONDAY MORNING.**

Chase woke up at around 7 am to the sound of his cell phone going off on the nightstand. Bleary eyed, he clumsily grabbed it, blinking a couple of times to try to focus on the caller ID.

After a few seconds, he gave up and flipped it open.

"This is Chase," he mumbled into the phone, still half asleep, flopping back down on the bed.

"Need you today," House told him curtly on the other end.

Chase opened his eyes wide at the sound of House's voice.

"… In diagnostics?" Chase asked, a little unsure.

"No. As a fourth for golf. Yes, in diagnostics, you _idiot_," House shot back sarcastically.

Chase exhaled deeply, his ankle throbbing as he started to regret House hiring him back as a consultant.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Gonna be busy all day finding out where fifteen million dollars went," House replied.

At this, Chase's memory immediately jogged back to Saturday night, when they all had dessert at Wilson's apartment after dinner and that Wilson left abruptly to Cuddy's place. On his way out, Wilson had told both he and Sophie that there had been millions of dollars missing and unaccounted for in the hospital budget.

He then also remembered how weird Wilson had been acting during dinner.

"Since you're going to be me for the day, if we have a case, mock Foreman's and Thirteen's ideas. If we don't have a case, do my Clinic hours," House ordered him.

"_If you don't have a case, Chase should go back to the NICU!_" Cuddy stated firmly from somewhere on the other end of the phone.

"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. The Great Oz has spoken. Do my Clinic hours if we don't have a case," House repeated to Chase, ignoring Cuddy and hanging up before Chase could get a word in edgewise.

He hung up and placed the phone back on the night- stand, closing his eyes again. As he did, Sophie rolled over to him in her sleep, draping her arm across his chest.

"Who was that?" she said, her voice still raspy from sleep.

"House. He needs me today," he said, wrapping his arms around her.

"Mmmm…" she said, drifting off again.

His own sleep haze wearing off, Chase realized that Sophie was completely naked against him. His morning erection noticed as well.

"But he said that if we don't have a case, I can hang out in the Clinic…" he said, shifting his position to his side to face her.

"…That's nice…" she mumbled, rolling away from him, her head still resting on his arm.

Now completely awake, Chase scooted up behind her and cupped her breast gently, tweaking her nipple, his hard shaft pressing up against her behind. She smiled, still sleepy as he started kissing the back of her neck.

"Don't you have to get ready for work?" she teased.

He rolled her over onto her back, twirled his tongue around her darkened nipple, and began kissing his way down her body.

"House said I'm him for the day…" he said coyly.

"…And House is always late…" he added with a sly smile, his lips trailing further down to her slightly swollen belly.

"So I guess you won't be offended if I call out his name by accident," she quipped, a huge grin on her face.

Chase's jaw dropped in mock horror before he tickled her under her armpits, making her laugh out loud, gasping for breath before he disappeared eagerly underneath their blanket.

* * *

At around 8 am, Cuddy was sitting on the couch, with her legs crossed, still wearing the camisole and shorties that she wore to bed, nervously bouncing her knee.

Her eyes darted back and forth, following House around the living room as he was getting ready to leave for work.

House glanced at her briefly before finally locating the keys to his motorcycle underneath the _Classic Trucks_ magazine he had been reading the night before.

"Either you're trying to get off without my help or you're a nervous wreck," he stated, as she continued to bounce her knee, a cross expression on her face.

"And frankly, I'm not sure which one I prefer," he added.

"Make sure you and Wilson put every piece of paper back that you take out of the files. I don't want anyone to find out about this because you didn't clean up your mess," she told him sternly.

"I know," he said.

"And make sure Wilson logs off the mainframe on my computer when he's done," she reminded him.

"I _KNOW_," he repeated, slightly annoyed.

"And _DON'T_ talk about _ANY_ of this in the cafeteria, or the Clinic or in the lobby or in the locker room—"

"Do you want to go in and handle this instead of me?" he demanded, losing his patience with her incessant nagging.

"_YES_!!" she exclaimed.

"Well, you're _not_, so you're just gonna have to trust me," he shot back, his bright blue eyes boring into her.

"…I trust you," she muttered, looking away from him.

She then got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen.

House barked out a laugh. "No you don't."

He followed her into the kitchen, where she was already taking out the necessary items to make herself some oatmeal.

"If I didn't trust you, you wouldn't still be practicing medicine and _I_ wouldn't be carrying your child," she argued.

"You trust me with my patients. You trust me to be a father to our kid. You _don't_ trust me to do _THIS_," he stated.

She exhaled deeply, placing the measuring cup onto the counter.

"This is different," she pointed out.

At this, House limped over to her, closing the distance between them and bent down so his face was level with her slightly swollen belly.

"Don't be jealous in there. Even though the hospital will always be mommy's first baby, she loves you both the same," House said to her stomach in a pedantic tone.

Cuddy snorted, folding her arms across her chest. House, still on his knees, looked up at her with amusement.

"We'll take care of it," he assured her.

"What's your plan?" she asked cynically, looking down at him.

House grabbed onto the kitchen counter to help him stand up again. She kept her gaze even with him as he did so.

"I figured I'd stand over the second floor balcony and yell out, '_SO WHO STOLE FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE HOSPITAL?!_' at the top of my lungs," he said, deadpan.

"At least you'd be in character," she snarked.

"I'm not stupid," he told her. "I know when to keep my mouth shut."

"…I know," she muttered.

House knew all- too well that Cuddy's slightly obsessive personality and her urge to be in control of everything that went on at the hospital was making this entire situtation even more difficult for her to handle.

And even though he knew that he was supposed to be reassuring her, he just couldn't help himself.

"… Wilson, on the other hand, _CAN'T_ keep his mouth shut," he stated.

A stricken, panic look crossed her face at House's statement, actually considering the possibility that Wilson would tell everyone he knew that there was fifteen million dollars missing from the budget.

"Oh relax. Wilson isn't going to say anything," he told her. "Now will you stop worrying so I can go play Private Investigator?"

She let out a slow breath that she didn't even know she was holding in. He leaned forward and kissed her, trying to put her mind at ease. She reluctantly kissed him back, too worried at the moment to enjoy the touch of his lips against hers.

"Make sure you call me as soon as you find something," she told him.

He nodded. "Yes, mom."

He then grabbed her ass, causing her to arch her brow.

"One for the road," he told her before heading for the door, leaving Cuddy alone in the house to worry until she heard from him.

* * *

Upon arriving at work, House headed straight for Cuddy's office, noticing that the blinds were drawn, which led House to immediately surmise that Wilson was already in there, frantically digging through the file cabinets for any evidence that would help them figure out where fifteen million dollars had gone to.

House entered the office without knocking, stopping in his tracks like a deer caught in headlights.

There were piles and piles of file folders and papers strewn all over Cuddy's desk, the coffee table, the couch and the floor. Both Wilson and Ingrid were sifting through the papers.

"Did the file cabinet explode?" House asked.

"Close the door," Wilson said nervously, looking past House to see if anyone was peeking inside the office.

Still stunned a bit, House closed the door behind him and stood in the middle of the office, staring curiously at Ingrid.

"What's she doing here?" Wilson asked, jutting his head in Ingrid's direction.

"She's helping," Wilson muttered. "Which _YOU_ should be doing."

House then looked around the office at all the papers, a feeling of dread overtaking him.

He despised paperwork. Which is why he always got his lackeys to do it for him.

But he knew that he promised Cuddy that he would take care of this.

"…Looks like you got everything covered," House commented casually. "If I stick around, I'll just be in the way."

"Don't even _THINK_ about leaving us to do this!" Wilson snapped, his eyes blazing.

"I was just going to get a cup of coffee," House protested innocently.

"Where? In Columbia?" Wilson snarked.

"_YOU'RE_ the one who volunteered us for this. Sit down and grab a stack. You're not going _ANYWHERE_," Wilson told him firmly before House could even respond.

House exhaled deeply and slowly went over to the couch, grabbing a stack of papers as he sat down.

"Is he this bossy in bed, too?" House asked Ingrid with a mock sympathetic look on his face.

As Ingrid stifled a giggle, Wilson glared at him angrily and continued to sift through the myriad of papers in front of him, his stomach churning.

* * *

Some time later, Foreman and Thirteen were sitting in House's conference room still waiting for House to arrive.

"It's 9:30. Where is he?" Foreman muttered in annoyance, glancing at his watch.

"He's always late," Thirteen reminded him.

Just then Chase entered the office, all smiles.

"G' morning," he said cheerily to both of them, placing his messenger bag onto one of the empty chairs at the conference table.

Foreman and Thirteen exchanged confused glances as Chase headed over to the sink on the side of the office. He grabbed a red mug that looked like it hadn't been used in a while, rinsed it out and proceeded to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Mmm. You make this?" Chase asked Foreman after taking a sip.

"…I did," Thirteen said, still bewildered by Chase's presence.

"It's excellent," he complimented her.

"… Thank you," she said reluctantly, glancing at Foreman again, who was still unsure why Chase was there and why he was acting like he owned the place.

"We have a case?" Chase asked, heading back to the conference table with the mug.

"What are you _doing_ here?" Foreman finally asked flatly.

"…House didn't tell you he hired me as a consultant?" Chase asked wearily.

"No... he didn't mention it," Foreman replied.

Chase exhaled in annoyance, placing the mug on the glass table.

He then went over to House's desk in the conference room, lolling his head back in frustration as he saw that the W-4 that he had filled out quite a while ago was still on House's desk.

"Of _COURSE_ he never submitted it to payroll so I can _ACTUALLY_ get paid for working for him," Chase muttered angrily.

Foreman laughed. "You really thought he was gonna do that?"

Chase grabbed the paper off the desk, not even bothering to reply to Foreman and just trudged back to the conference table.

"Fifteen year old female experiencing fever, a rash, pain in her knees and hips and a stiff neck," Foreman began, tossing a copy of the patient's file at him.

"Fever plus a rash and a stiff neck equals meningitis," Chase commented as he began to peruse the file.

"ER ruled out meningitis along with the flu," Thirteen pointed out, flipping through the file contents as well.

"She's on the swim team at school. Maybe the rash is from the pool and it's irrelevant," she added.

"Could also be Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. She's the right age," Chase pointed out, causing Thirteen to turn down her lower lip nod in agreement at him.

"Let's get a CBC, blood cultures and an ANA," Foreman ordered. "JRA is definitely a possibility."

But as Chase both got up from the conference table, Thirteen immediately noticed something sparkling on Chase's left ring finger.

"What's _THAT_?" she said in interest, jutting at his hand.

Chase looked down at his hand and then back up at her, his face turning slightly pink. He covered his left hand with his right as casually as he could. Foreman arched his brow, now interested in what Chase was attempting to hide from her.

"You're hiding it from me _AFTER_ I already saw it," she pointed out, her lips curling up in amusement.

Knowing he had no choice, he uncovered his hand and held it out for both Foreman and Thirteen to see the ring that Sophie surprised him with that weekend.

"Sophie… got it for me," he said offhandedly.

"There's a diamond on it," Foreman pointed out, causing Chase's face to turn even redder.

"It's a male engagement ring. Sophie proposed to me this weekend," he blurted out.

"That's so romantic! Congratulations!" Thirteen told him, her entire face lighting up.

"Thank you," he replied, smiling in relief as she gave him a friendly hug.

"_SHE_ proposed to _YOU_??" Foreman asked, slightly incredulous.

"So what?" Thirteen asked him, turning back to Foreman.

"Little emasculating, don't you think?" Foreman said with a smirk.

"It's the twenty- first century. Why can't a woman propose to a man?" Thirteen asked, a bit defensively.

"There are certain traditions you don't mess with. Men propose to women. Not the other way around," Foreman stated rather confidently.

Thirteen laughed out loud in disbelief.

"So women can do everything that men can do _except_ tell the man that they love that they want to spend the rest of their lives with them," she clarified.

"Yes," Foreman replied.

"No. You just think that if a woman proposes to a man that it puts _PRESSURE_ on him to make a commitment," she argued back at him.

"If the guy was ready to get married, he'd _ASK_," Foreman shot back.

"So the woman's feelings have nothing to do with it?!" Thirteen countered, feeling her anger rising within her. "She's just supposed to wait forever like it's 1950?"

"Guys, shouldn't we run the tests?" Chase finally pointed out after silently watching them argue back and forth at each other.

At this, both Foreman and Thirteen stopped bickering. Thirteen turned on her heel to leave with Chase.

"Has House seen that ring yet?" Foreman asked lightly.

Chase stopped in his tracks.

"… No," he admitted reluctantly, a feeling of dread rising inside him.

Foreman grinned. "Should be interesting when he does."

* * *

Later that day, Wilson, House and Ingrid were still in Cuddy's office, sifting through multitudes of paper, still futilely searching for some clue that would help them figure out where the money had disappeared to.

"I'm starving," House announced. "Let's go get lunch."

"Ingrid can go fetch you something from the cafeteria," Wilson muttered dismissively.

At this, Ingrid arched her eyebrows at Wilson, shocked that he would actually suggest something like that.

Realizing what he had said, Wilson immediately looked up, an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean that. I'm just stressed—" he began.

"What would you like for lunch, House?" Ingrid interrupted him, smiling overly sweetly at House.

"… Dry Reuben... no pickles," he replied, equally surprised at Wilson's suggestion.

"Could... you get me something too, baby?" Wilson asked her meekly.

"_No_," she snapped, leaving the office in a huff.

"Nice move," House said sarcastically to Wilson after Ingrid left.

Wilson ignored him, rubbing his forehead in aggravation as he went back to his paperwork.

"This is a _complete_ waste of time," House stated. "The papers aren't gonna tell you anything."

"These are all the papers I've signed since I took over for Cuddy. If I can find anything suspicious looking, maybe we can figure this out!" Wilson stated irately, losing his patience.

"If you had actually _READ_ the papers before just signing them, we would be _IN_ this mess!" House shot back angrily.

"The _LAST_ thing I need right now is a lecture from you!" Wilson retorted.

"Cuddy is going to _KILL_ us if we don't figure this out. And I don't mean metaphorically," House told him.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Wilson yelled back.

Just then, Chase walked into the office with a few papers in his hand, his eyes widening at the state of disarray in Cuddy's office.

"I lost my keys. I think I left them in Cuddy's files," House snarked to Chase.

"Find the money yet?" Chase asked, closing the door behind him.

"Yes. Which is why we're still looking for it," House stated, his voice still heavy with sarcasm.

"Blood work all points to JRA, but we're still waiting on the ANA results," Chase told him, handing him the test printout from earlier.

"Good," House commented disinterested, barely glancing at the paper before tossing it aside.

Chase exhaled, picking up the paper again.

"And you never submitted my W-4 to payroll," Chase reminded him, annoyed.

"I always say, 'if you want something done, do it yourself,'" House quipped.

"You _NEVER_ say that," Chase said, scrunching up his face.

"Somebody did," House said with a shrug.

"Well Debbie's on vacation, and she handles payroll, so now I won't get paid for at _least_ another month," Chase complained.

At this, Wilson exhaled loudly, completely irritated by Chase's presence, the mention of his ex- financeé only aggravating him further.

"Not that I don't sympathize with your plight Chase, but can you please leave us alone and whine somewhere else? We're kinda busy here," Wilson barked, still flipping through the papers.

Chase arched his eyebrow at Wilson, his earlier suspicions creeping up again in his mind.

"Why do you want to get rid of me so fast?" Chase asked.

"Because you're in the way!" Wilson spat out.

"...Or maybe it's because you're hiding something," Chase suggested vaguely.

At this, both Wilson and House snapped their heads up at Chase.

"_What are you saying?_" Wilson demanded.

"Nothing. I just think it's _odd_ that fifteen million dollars is suddenly missing from the budget under _your_ watch," Chase remarked.

Wilson got up crossing the room to Chase, feeling the rage build up inside him.

"Are you insinuating that _I took the money?_" Wilson demanded, his hand already clenching into a fist.

"Chase that's ridiculous. Wilson didn't take the money," House said dismissively.

"_Thank_ you!" Wilson stated loudly, happy that House would defend him against Chase's accusation.

"Wilson doesn't have the math skills to pull off something like that," House added.

Chase turned down his lower lip as he considered that for a moment while Wilson spun around to face House, his eyes almost popping out of his head.

"What does that mean?! I was _ALWAYS_ good at math!" Wilson argued.

"Not _this_ good. And I didn't realize they gave 'Embezzlement 101' at McGill," House said.

"And you think the _ONLY_ reason why I didn't take the money is because I'm too _STUPID_? Not because I'd never _STEAL_ anything?!" Wilson exclaimed.

Just then, House looked up, his face full of epiphany as he suddenly remembered one of Chase's earlier statements.

"_Debbie's on vacation_," House said to both of them, his tone full of realization.

He then suddenly got up from the couch and hurriedly left the room. Wilson and Chase exchanged a confused look before following him out of the office.

* * *

A few minutes later, House, Wilson, Chase were in the hospital's accounting department, accompanied by the janitor that House referred to as 'Dr. Buffer.'

The four men immediately breezed past the secretarial pool, ignoring the shocked looks they were getting from them.

"Where are you going?!" one of the secretaries demanded, getting up from her desk to follow them.

But before she could stop them, Dr. Buffer had already unlocked the door to Debbie's office and House, Wilson and Chase were standing inside it, completely stunned.

The entire office was bare.

Wilson immediately headed over to the large file cabinet that was leaning against the wall of his ex- fianceé's office and pulled the drawers open one after the other, only to find them completely empty.

He then went over to her desk, finding that cleaned out as well.

With an utterly shocked expression on his face, Wilson turned to House and Chase.

"..._Everything's gone_..." he said, barely above a whisper.

As House thoughtfully looked around the bare office, his mind racing, his eye was distracted by something glittery on Chase's left ring finger.

"Is that a male engagement ring?" he asked Chase with an arched eyebrow.

TBC…


	15. Chapter 15

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS!**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D **

* * *

**CHAPTER 15: Please read and comment.**

After closing and locking the door to prevent the entire accounting secretarial pool from eavesdropping on them, Wilson, House and Chase were still inside Wilson's ex- fiancée's empty office.

Chase kept a concerted gaze on Wilson, waiting for him to flip out.

Wilson was sitting in Debbie's chair, completely dumbstruck and staring off into space, still trying to make sense of what they had just discovered.

But House, sitting on the top of Debbie's bare desk, was much more interested in the male engagement ring on Chase's left ring finger.

"I can't believe this," Wilson said, dazed.

"Sophie proposed to _YOU_?" House asked Chase, ignoring Wilson.

"Yes," Chase muttered, darting an annoyed glance at him.

"Would you ever think that Debbie would do something like this?" Wilson continued, unaware that the other two men were even talking to each other.

"And now you have to wear that," House clarified, jutting his chin towards Chase's left hand.

"I like it," Chase said, slightly defensive.

"Yeah, _right_," House said with a derisive snort.

"I mean I know she was upset because we broke off our engagement…" Wilson went on.

"What's wrong with it?" Chase demanded, glancing at his left hand for a moment.

"Duh. It's an _ENGAGEMENT_ ring," House stated.

"…You think she did this to get back at me because we canceled the wedding?" Wilson asked, still oblivious to House and Chase's conversation.

"Engagement rings are becoming more popular for men," Chase argued, twisting the ring around his finger with his other hand.

"Are bras too? What about nail polish? Tampons?" House snarked.

"It's not the same thing," Chase mumbled, thrusting his hands in the pockets of his lab coat, his embarrassment growing.

"The diamond really brings out your eyes," House said sarcastically.

"_SHE_ was the one who broke it off with _ME_. There was no reason for her to be this angry—" Wilson continued.

"Oh don't flatter yourself!" House shouted at Wilson with irritation, taking his attention away from Chase for the moment.

For some reason, House's statement seemed to snap Wilson out of his thoughts.

"She didn't take the money because she was angry at you. She took the money because you were in _CHARGE_, you idiot!" House told him.

Wilson continued to stare at him, completely bewildered. House exhaled loudly, thoroughly exasperated that he had to connect the dots for his friend.

"She took _ADVANTAGE_ of you! You've been doing Cuddy's job _AND_ your job at the same time. Debbie knew that you'd be too overwhelmed to read every single paper that came across your desk," House explained to him.

Wilson continued to stare at him in silence for a moment, processing what House was saying.

"…So… you're saying that I was engaged to a sociopath?" Wilson clarified.

"Yes," House replied.

At this, Wilson laughed in disgust, shaking his head.

"You're not gonna wear white on the wedding day are you? 'Cause that would be just hypocritical," House said, turning his attention back to Chase.

"I should've listened to my mother," Wilson said, slumping back in the chair.

Both House and Chase arched their eyebrows, still not sure that Wilson was fully understanding the seriousness of the situation.

"My mother never liked her. She had a bad feeling about her from the first day she met her. Remember? At your place? The barbecue?" Wilson reminded Chase.

House rolled his eyes, losing his patience. "Be that as it may, it doesn't solve our current problem," he told Wilson firmly.

"...We have to tell Cuddy," Chase said gravely.

"_YOU_ have nothing to do with this. Go back to the lab and find out if the ANA results came in on our patient. If it's JRA, start cortisone injections and contact Rheumatology and find Ingrid," House ordered Chase.

"Ingrid?" Chase asked, confused.

"She's a physical therapist which our _patient_ is going to need, and she was supposed to get me lunch, which _I _need." House told him. "It's win- win."

"Right," Chase muttered as he turned around to leave Debbie's office.

"Chase, wait," Wilson suddenly said, getting up from the desk and crossing the room.

"…Tell Ingrid I'm sorry," he said, his voice full of regret.

Chase narrowed his eyes slightly, having no idea what Wilson was talking about, but he nodded anyway.

"I'm… sorry about… accusing you of stealing—" Chase replied awkwardly.

"Forget about it," Wilson said dismissively.

Chase nodded again and clapped Wilson on the shoulder in a supportive gesture before turning once again to leave the room.

But as Chase opened the door and began to head through the secretarial pool, House positioned himself in the doorway.

"_**ARE YOU AND SOPHIE GONNA GET MATCHING PEDICURES AND BIKINI WAXES FOR THE BIG DAY?!**_" House shouted out to Chase at the top of his lungs so the entire secretarial pool could hear him.

* * *

After Chase had left, House and Wilson remained in Debbie's former office, both of them staring at the office phone, both of them thinking the exact same thing.

They both knew that they would have to call Cuddy and tell her what they had discovered.

And neither of them wanted to do it.

"You wanna flip for it?" Wilson suggested.

* * *

A few minutes later, after losing the coin toss, Wilson called Cuddy, putting her on speakerphone and told her everything that he and House had discovered.

Both House and Wilson waited in silence with baited breath for her to say something.

"…You're _KIDDING_ me," Cuddy finally said.

"I wish I was," Wilson said morosely.

"Her entire office is cleaned out??" Cuddy clarified.

"Well, the phone's still here, but the computer's gone and so are all the files," Wilson replied, rubbing the back of his neck in aggravation as he spoke.

"Which means we'll never be able to prove that she did this," Cuddy said, taking on a businesslike tone.

"She left some post- its," House piped up.

"Who else knows?" Cuddy demanded on the other end, completely ignoring House.

"About the fact that she cleaned out her office or that she took the money?" Wilson asked.

"Both," Cuddy replied.

"The secretaries in accounting know about her office. Chase knows about the money," Wilson told her.

For a few moments, Cuddy didn't say anything.

Wilson glanced at House, nervous at the silence and wondering if he made a mistake telling her about Chase.

House merely raised his eyebrows, waiting for Wilson to start babbling as he sometimes did when he was anxious.

"Chase came into your office to talk to House about at case. Then House had an epiphany and ran out of the room—" Wilson began.

"Where are you calling me from?" Cuddy interrupted him.

"… Debbie's office," Wilson said, thrown by the interruption.

"_FORMER_ office," House corrected him.

"I'm assuming you took every piece of paper out of the files in my office and that you never put them back?" Cuddy asked.

Wilson furrowed his brow, completely confused as to why Cuddy would bring that up at this moment.

"… Yeah, but—" Wilson said.

"Go back to my office and put everything back where it belongs," Cuddy ordered both of them on the other end of the line.

"…You really care right now if we didn't put the files back?" Wilson asked her.

"I'll call you back in a few minutes," she said before hanging up.

* * *

After hanging up on House and Wilson, Cuddy took a deep breath and exhaled, leaning back on the living room couch, where she had been sitting for the last two hours.

As she played out each possible way to handle this situation in her mind, she knew that there was only one realistic option.

She picked up her cell phone once again and pressed the speed dial for "Regina" in her contacts, a nurse recently assigned to the Clinic and one of the most trustworthy people she had ever worked with.

"Clinic," Regina answered the phone in a professional manner.

"Regina, its Dr. Cuddy. I need you to meet me at the entrance of the hospital in twenty minutes," Cuddy ordered her.

"And bring a wheelchair," she added before hanging up.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Cuddy parked in her usual parking spot in the outdoor lot of Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, got out of her car and walked the short distance to the entrance.

As ordered, nurse Regina was waiting at the entrance to PPTH with a wheelchair.

Without a word, Cuddy walked through the front doors and promptly sat down in the wheelchair, avoiding the stares that she was getting as Regina wheeled her through the lobby.

"You're creating a buzz," Regina commented as people now began to murmur at Cuddy's presence.

"There's rumors about me all over this place. I'm used to it," Cuddy said casually, wishing she felt as calm as she sounded.

Regina chuckled. "Are we going to your office?" she asked.

"Yep," Cuddy replied, sitting up a bit straighter in the wheelchair, as she steeled herself to deal with the current crisis.

* * *

As House watched Wilson put back all of Cuddy's files from his vantage point on her couch, Regina opened the office doors and pushed Cuddy inside.

House immediately stood up from the couch, a sharp pain radiating through his leg.

"_What the hell are you doing here?!_" he demanded angrily.

Wilson turned around at House's outburst, just as shocked to see Cuddy in the office as House was.

"Thank you Regina," Cuddy said. Taking that as her cue to leave, Regina nodded and left the office, closing the door behind her.

"What I should be doing. My job," Cuddy replied calmly to House.

"Your job is no longer your job. It's _WILSON'S_ job!" House stated furiously, gesturing at Wilson with his cane.

"And look how that turned out," Cuddy retorted without missing a beat.

At this, Wilson felt the shame and humiliation course through him. He lowered his head just a bit, contritely as he approached her.

"Lisa, I'm so sorry—" he began sincerely.

"It's not your fault," she interrupted him.

Wilson's eyes widened, darting a glance at House and then back at Cuddy, completely confused at her statement.

"… You just said—" he began.

"You're the department head of oncology. You have a thriving, busy practice. You have no administrative skills or experience running an entire hospital, and I put you in charge of this place," she told him.

"Which means this is _MY_ fault," she added plainly.

She then rolled herself in the wheelchair over to her desk and picked up her phone.

"What are you doing?" House demanded of her.

"Calling an emergency Board meeting," Cuddy stated.

Crossing to the desk in only a few steps, House ripped the receiver out of Cuddy's hand and slammed it back into the cradle of the phone.

"Greg, stop it," she said in aggravation.

"Turn your ass around and _GO HOME_," he ordered her.

"You said it yourself. The secretarial pool in accounting knows that Debbie's gone. By tonight, this whole place will be filled with rumors. If I don't stop this now, it'll be out of control," she told him, refusing to back down.

"Rumors fly around this place everyday. Nobody believes most of them," he said with a dismissive wave.

"House should know. He _starts_ most of them," Wilson mumbled without thinking.

Cuddy raised her eyebrows at Wilson pointedly, causing him to mumble an apology.

She then turned her attention back to House, who was standing over her desk, his own bright blue eyes blazing, still furious that she had left the house in the first place.

"So what do you suggest I wait for? The press release on the cover of the _New York Times_?" Cuddy asked with an air of sarcasm in her voice.

Having no answer to that, House remained silent.

"I _HAVE_ to do this," she told him firmly, locking eyes with him.

Once again, House was about to argue with her.

But before he did, his words stopped in his throat, realization dawning on him.

"_You're in a wheelchair_," House stated, as if he had just figured out a medical mystery.

"I'm supposed to be on bed rest. Figured this is the next best thing," she said with a shrug.

And at this, a slow smile crept across his face.

"No you didn't," he said knowingly.

"The wheelchair is to manipulate the Board so they'll go _easy_ on you," House stated.

Wilson arched his eyebrow at Cuddy, waiting to see if she would deny House's accusation.

But she merely shrugged again, turning down her lower lip.

"I'm just following hospital policy. If I fell or something happened to me, the hospital would be liable," she said innocently, a mischievous glint in her soft blue- grey eyes.

"You are an evil cunning woman," House told her, his grin broadening.

"Let's hope it works," she said, drawing in a breath as she picked up her phone.

* * *

After confirming their patient's diagnosis of JRA and administering the cortisone injections as House had ordered, Chase had paged Ingrid to come to House's office.

"Everything you need is in the file," Chase told her, handing her the patient's file as they stood in House's conference room.

"Thank you," Ingrid replied in a professional manner, taking the file from him.

"And… Wilson wanted me to tell you that he's sorry," Chase added.

She nodded quietly, her eyes full of hurt as the memory of Wilson's earlier insensitivity came flooding back to her.

"Whatever he did, I'm sure he didn't mean it. He's under a tremendous amount of stress right now with all of this," Chase told her.

"…I know," she admitted.

"And his parents love you," Chase added with a gentle smile. "They hated his last girlfriend."

Ingrid couldn't help but laugh at that. "They are very nice people," she replied.

But then her face fell once again, the issue of the missing fifteen million dollars taking precedence in her mind.

"What do you think will happen to the hospital because of the missing money?" she asked him softly.

"I don't know," he replied sincerely.

"…People will lose their jobs, yes?" she asked sadly.

Chase pressed his lips together, an uneasy feeling creeping through him as the implications of what had happened suddenly hitting home at her words.

"...I don't know," he repeated.

* * *

Sometime that afternoon, Sophie was in the Clinic, helping nurse Jeffrey with paperwork, looking at the analog clock on the wall every few minutes.

"Waiting for House?" Jeffrey asked her knowingly.

"Yep," Sophie replied, popping the '_p_' at the end of her sentence.

"Trust me, honey, it's less heartbreaking if you stop expecting things from him," he told her.

"I can't get course credit for the Clinic hours unless he signs off on it," she mumbled as she continued to pore through the files in front of her.

"You've been working for him long enough to know how to forge his signature. Stop being such a slacker," he teased, elbowing her lightly.

Sophie laughed. "Yeah, I'll get right on that," she told him.

"Sophie?" a female voice asked, causing Sophie to look up from her work. She smiled as she saw it was Beth, one of her classmates.

"Hey, Beth. What's up?" she said.

"I just heard the news! Congratulations!" Beth gushed.

"… What news?" Sophie asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.

"That you're _pregnant_!" Beth squealed.

Jeffrey's eyebrows shot up, his eyes almost popping out of his head at this news.

But Sophie froze at Beth's words, her stomach rising up into her throat.

"… Thank you," she mumbled, a flush creeping up her neck.

"So when are you due?" Beth continued excitedly, oblivious to Sophie's discomfort.

"End of March," she replied softly, hoping that Beth would get the hint and lower her own voice.

"Wow. Are you gonna finish the term?!" Beth pressed her, not taking Sophie's hint.

"Who told you I was pregnant?" Sophie asked her a bit tersely, refusing to answer her question.

Beth thought for a moment. "Oh, what's her name… the nurse that just got transferred to the NICU… she's blonde…" she said, having trouble summoning the memory.

At the mention of the word '_NICU_,' Sophie immediately felt the anger rising within her.

"Kate! That's her name," Beth suddenly said, snapping her fingers.

Now completely furious, Sophie immediately got up from behind the desk, pushing her way past Jeffrey.

Except for House, Cuddy, Foreman and her brother, no one else in the hospital knew that she was pregnant.

And Chase and her had agreed that they would keep it that way until she was no longer unable to hide her tiny swollen belly underneath her clothes and her lab coat.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked her.

Sophie stopped in her tracks, plastering a sarcastic smile on her face.

"Excuse me, Beth. I have to go kill someone," Sophie told her, leaving Jeffrey at the desk thoroughly amused and intrigued.

TBC…


	16. Chapter 16

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANK YOU FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS! AS USUAL, I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM.**

**AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO JUST STARTED READING THIS AND ADDING IT TO THEIR FAVORITES!! :D **

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* * *

**CHAPTER 16: Please read and comment.**

"Who told you I was pregnant?" Sophie asked her friend Beth a bit tersely.

Beth thought for a moment. "Oh, what's her name… the nurse that just got transferred to the NICU… she's blonde…" she said, having trouble summoning the memory.

At the mention of the word '_NICU_,' Sophie immediately felt the anger rising within her.

"_Kate_! That's her name," Beth suddenly said, snapping her fingers.

Now completely furious, Sophie immediately got up from behind the desk, pushing her way past Jeffrey.

Except for House, Cuddy, Foreman and her brother, no one else in the hospital knew that she was pregnant.

And Chase and her had agreed that they would keep it that way until she was no longer unable to hide her tiny swollen belly underneath her clothes and her lab coat.

"Where are you going?" Beth asked her.

Sophie stopped in her tracks, plastering a sarcastic smile on her face.

"Excuse me, Beth. I have to go kill someone," Sophie told her.

"_WILSON! Get in here!!_" a male voice shouted.

Sophie spun around towards the direction of the voice, cringing inwardly upon seeing Danny standing in the doorway of exam room 2, the door closed behind him.

After making the mistake of playing poker with him several months ago, the young ER doctor had taken that as an invitation to hit on her. After she'd rebuffed his advances, he started harassing her.

And after that, Chase had almost beat the crap out of him in the middle of the Clinic.

But she knew that despite her personal feelings towards Danny, and her current wrath at Kate for invading her privacy, she knew that she had to assist any doctor who needed help while she was on duty.

"Yes doctor?" Sophie asked once she reached the exam room, maintaining a professional demeanor.

"Help me hold this kid down. I need to get a better look at this rash," he ordered her.

Sophie followed Danny into the exam room, where a mother was holding her three- year old daughter on her lap, whose cheeks were bright red, as if she had been slapped in the face. The girl was crying bitterly and trying to wrestle out of her mother's grasp.

"Why is she crying like this?" Sophie asked worriedly, not liking how red the little girl's cheeks were.

"She hates coming to the doctor," the mother explained wearily.

"Mom, put her down on the table. Wilson, hold her legs," Danny told both women.

Both the mother and Sophie did as Danny ordered. Sophie positioned herself on the side of the table to keep out of Danny's way and to prevent her stomach from getting kicked by accident.

As Sophie held down her legs, she noticed that a rash with a lace- like pattern covered the little girl's thighs, the same bright red as the flush on her cheeks.

After lifting the little girl's shirt, Danny narrowed his eyes as he critically examined the angry red blotches on the little girl's stomach.

"Did your child eat anything out of the ordinary?" Danny asked the mother.

"No, not that I know of," the mother said. "She's in preschool all day—"

"Is she currently on any medicine?" Danny interrupted her curtly, not interested in the girl's life story as her wails turned into half cries, half hiccups.

"… She had a cold and said her head hurt a few days ago. I gave her Tylenol—" the mother began.

"She had a _headache_??" Sophie suddenly asked, causing both Danny and the mother to turn their attention to her.

"Yes, why?" the mother asked.

"Did she have a fever?" Sophie pressed, anxiety seeping through her voice.

"Yes, but it was low. Ninety- nine point eight. I figured that's normal with a cold," the mother said with a shrug.

At this, Sophie immediately let go of the girl's legs, the color draining from her face as she wore a panic stricken expression.

"…Excuse me," Sophie said nervously before running out of the exam room, leaving Danny and the mother completely bewildered.

* * *

Running at breakneck speed, it only took Sophie a few minutes to reach the locker room.

After fumbling with the lock, she flung the door to her locker open and grabbed the extra set of scrubs, bra and underwear that she always kept there, along with a clean and folded towel from the top of the lockers.

She then immediately headed to the shower area, stripped off all her clothes and went into one of the shower stalls, turned on the water and started scrubbing her hands, face and body vigorously with the body wash from the wall dispenser, her heart beating a mile a minute.

* * *

Two hours later, Cuddy and Wilson were in one of the hospital's conference rooms, sitting at one end of a large, oval mahogany table in front of Princeton Plainsboro's Board of Directors.

Wilson sat in silence as Cuddy presented their discovery of the missing money and Debbie's disappearance.

Wilson and Cuddy had agreed not to mention to the Board that he and Debbie had been previously engaged, thinking that it might make a bad situation worse.

As Cuddy continued her prepared statement, Wilson darted a glance to the glass walls on his right side, where he spotted House sitting on a cushioned bench against the far wall in the hallway, watching the meeting through the glass intently, despite the fact that he couldn't hear anything.

* * *

As House kept an intense gaze on Cuddy through the window, Chase walked up to him, carrying a white paper bag.

"Got your Reuben," Chase told him, handing House the bag as he sat down next to him.

House eyed Chase and the bag he was holding out to him for a moment, suddenly remembering that Wilson had sent Ingrid to go fetch him a sandwich a while back.

"Ingrid was supposed to get this for me two hours ago. Epic fail on her part," House told him as he took the bag from Chase and set it down on the bench on the other side of him.

Chase gazed at House thoughtfully as House focused back on the conference room, unable to remember a time when House was so distracted by something that he didn't eat.

He then turned his attention to the window, noticing that Cuddy was in there, sitting in a wheelchair.

"What's Cuddy doing here?" Chase asked.

"Trying to save all of our asses," House replied, never taking his eyes off the window.

"Was the wheelchair her idea or yours?" Chase asked him.

"Hers."

Chase smiled softly. "She's clever."

House didn't reply, keeping his focus on Cuddy through the glass.

"… You think… people are gonna lose their jobs over this?" Chase asked in a low tone.

"Probably," House said.

Chase nodded, staying quiet, drifting his attention down to the floor.

House gave him a sidelong glance and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Oh relax. You're cushy NICU job is safe," House told him flatly.

Breathing a small sigh of relief, Chase leaned back against the wall.

"…Doubt my W-4 for my consulting gig will ever get processed, though," Chase mentioned.

House couldn't help but smile at that. But he remained silent, looking back at Cuddy through the window.

And his silence spoke volumes to Chase.

"She'll be ok. She's sitting down," Chase assured him.

"She's stressed," House said, still staring at Cuddy as she sat up straighter in her wheelchair as she listened to the chairman of the Board speak.

"Cuddy thrives on stress," Chase reminded her.

"_Fetuses usually don't_," House replied somberly, finally turning towards Chase.

Chase kept his gaze on the older man for a moment, seeing the overwhelming worry in his bright blue eyes before both of them turned back to the window.

* * *

While House and Chase watched through the window, Cuddy sat up straighter in her wheelchair, waiting for them to respond to her statement.

William Carson, the current Chairman, and a hard- nosed bureaucrat, glanced around the table at the other eleven board members, who were silent, most of them glancing down at their leather bound folders, avoiding Cuddy.

"…Dr. Cuddy, while we appreciate you coming forward as soon as you and Dr. Wilson discovered this, we must tell you that this is all very disturbing…" Carson began.

Cuddy nodded, maintaining her straight posture in the wheelchair.

"…I propose that this Board conduct an internal investigation and audit into the finances of the hospital. All those in favor?" Carson proposed, to which all twelve board members unanimously raised their hands.

"Motion carried," he declared.

Wilson exhaled audibly and leaned back in his chair, feeling as if they dodged a bullet.

But Cuddy didn't budge, knowing that Carson wasn't finished.

"I also propose the dismissal of Dr. Lisa Cuddy as acting Dean of Medicine," Carson stated.

"That's _RIDICULOUS_!!" Wilson exclaimed.

"James…" Cuddy said, placing her hand on his arm.

"This wasn't Dr. Cuddy's fault! She's been on medical leave!" Wilson continued, unable to hold back any longer, ignoring Cuddy's gentle plea to calm down.

"If the financial security of this hospital solely rests on the presence of Dr. Cuddy, then this hospital is doing something wrong," Carson stated plainly.

At this, Dr. Carole Miles, chief of Pediatrics, rolled her eyes, feeling she could no longer be silent.

"C'mon, Bill. We all know that Dr. Cuddy does an outstanding job. She's kept this place in the black since she's been here. In her current condition—" Dr. Miles began.

"Her current condition is exactly why this happened," Carson argued.

"So women in positions of power aren't allowed to have children? That's _ABSURD_!" Miles retorted.

"Dr. Cuddy had a responsibility to choose someone competent enough to handle the business of this hospital while on medical leave. She failed," Carson stated, his voice completely devoid of emotion.

"As far as I'm concerned, Dr. Wilson was the BEST choice to take her place because Dr. Wilson is the ONLY person in this hospital besides Dr. Cuddy who can handle Dr. HOUSE," Miles argued right back at him.

Throughout Carson's and Miles' exchange, the rest of the Board, Wilson and Cuddy remained silent.

Wilson darted a glance at Cuddy, who maintained her straight posture in her wheelchair, never letting on how she felt as if she was being ripped apart inside.

"All those in favor of dismissing Dr. Lisa Cuddy," Carson proposed.

Cuddy felt her stomach rise up into her throat as six of the twelve Board members raised their hands, including Carson.

"Opposed?" Carson asked, to which the other six, including Miles raised their hands.

"Motion denied…" Carson said.

"… Although I can't imagine why," he muttered under his breath.

"The motion was denied. Therefore, Dr. Cuddy is still Dean of Medicine. And unless anyone else has any objection to Dr. Wilson continuing as _ACTING_ Dean of Medicine, I propose that instead of pointing fingers that we concentrate on possibly recovering this money. All those in favor?" Miles firmly proposed in one breath.

Eleven of the twelve Board members raised their hands.

Carson looked around the table, knowing he was outnumbered and reluctantly raised his hand as well.

"Motion carried," Miles stated.

Carson drew in a deep breath and let it out forcefully.

Locking eyes with Wilson then Cuddy, he stood up from the table and silently left the room.

* * *

After Carson left, the rest of the Board members began to file out as well, including Dr. Miles.

"Carole," Cuddy called out to Miles before she could leave the room.

Reluctantly, Miles turned around to face Cuddy, who had rolled herself towards her in her wheelchair.

"Thank you," Cuddy said gratefully.

"Don't thank me," Miles replied curtly, surprising Cuddy.

"Right now the last thing that this place needs is someone new in charge who has no idea what they're doing. I said what I said for the _hospital_. Not for you," Miles revealed to her.

"…I understand," Cuddy said.

"And next time you want to manipulate us, I suggest using a less subtle approach than a wheelchair," Miles added before leaving the room.

Cuddy arched her eyebrow at Wilson, who merely shrugged.

"Might not have been subtle, but it worked," he told her.

As Wilson grabbed the handles of Cuddy's wheelchair, House entered the conference room.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"They're going to conduct an internal audit… and your wife saved my ass," Wilson told him.

"So you're still in charge?" House asked Wilson.

"Yep, but she's still the puppet master," Wilson said with a relieved smile.

"Only because the Board needed a unanimous vote to get rid of me," Cuddy said sardonically.

"If they got rid of you, I'd wreak havoc of Biblical proportions," House assured her. "_Much_ worse than throwing tongue depressors all over the ER."

Wilson chuckled at this, knowing that House wasn't exaggerating and that his threat was actually an expression of love for Cuddy.

But Cuddy wasn't happy.

"People are going their jobs. _GOOD_ people," she said in a defeatist tone. "People who had nothing to do with this."

"Not if we can recover the money," House told her.

"And how do you propose we do that? Have a bake sale?" Cuddy snarked.

"No. We hire a private investigator," House said.

At this, Cuddy laughed out loud in disgust.

"Lucas can barely investigate cheating husbands! There's _NO_ way he could handle this!" she told him.

"Not Lucas…" he said vaguely, his eyes glittering as a plan began to form in his mind.

* * *

That evening, Chase walked through the hospital's medical library annex, looking for Sophie.

He hadn't seen or heard from her all day, which was odd. They usually met for lunch in the cafeteria or texted each other if they couldn't meet up.

He spotted her at one of the annexes' single cubicle desks along the far wall of the room, where she was immersed in a medical textbook. He smiled and crossed the room to her, which was scattered with other students.

"There you are. I've been looking all over for you," Chase said happily as he pulled up a nearby chair and sat down next to her.

Sophie didn't reply and continued reading from an infectious disease textbook, which Chase noticed was piled on top of two other open textbooks.

"…Feel like pizza for dinner?" he asked her, starting to wonder why she didn't answer him and why she was wearing a light pink set of scrubs instead of the clothes that she had worn to the hospital that morning.

Sophie re- read the paragraph in front of her for the tenth time, closed her eyes, propped her elbow up on the desk and leaned heavily into her hand.

"…Did you tell Kate that I was pregnant?" she asked quietly, rubbing her forehead stressfully.

"No," Chase replied. "Why? Did she say something to you?"

"…A friend of mine congratulated me on my pregnancy and told me that Kate told her," Sophie mumbled.

Chase shrugged. "It wasn't me," he told her sincerely.

Sophie nodded, her earlier anger over Kate opening her mouth now seeming inconsequential to what she was worried about now.

Chase glanced down at the words in the textbook and then back up at Sophie, who was visibly upset.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I was exposed to parvovirus b19," she told him in a raspy voice, pressing her lips together.

For a moment, Chase froze, a painful sensation spreading through his chest.

But he remained calm, knowing that if he panicked outwardly, she would too.

"… How do you know?" he asked her softly.

"Today in the Clinic, a three year old girl came in with a rash all over her body. A few days ago, she had cold symptoms, a headache and a low grade fever," Sophie told him.

"…Ok… those symptoms could be twenty other illnesses," Chase pointed out.

"The rash looked _EXACTLY_ like this," Sophie told him, shutting the textbook on the top of the pile and shoving it aside to show him the dermatology textbook that had been underneath it.

Chase glanced at the page that was opened in the dermatology textbook, which showed a lacy red rash, labeled as a tell- tale sign of parvovirus b19, the cause of 'Fifth's Disease,' a highly contagious childhood illness.

"How long were you with the patient?" Chase asked her calmly.

"A few minutes," Sophie said, her voice quavering.

At this, Chase breathed a tiny sigh of relief and smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure you didn't catch anything if you were only exposed for a few minutes—"

"I had to hold her down for the doctor to look at the rash," Sophie interrupted him gravely.

"…Did you wash your hands?" Chase asked her.

"Yes. And I showered and changed my clothes," she replied, almost right on top of his question.

"Then you did everything you can do," he told her.

Sophie quickly grabbed the infectious disease textbook she had just closed and frantically skipped back to the page she had been reading.

"'_**Parvovirus b19 infection can cause the unborn baby to have severe anemia and the woman may have a miscarriage. It occurs more commonly during the first half of pregnancy,'**_" she read aloud from the book, the panic rising in her voice.

"That's _very_ rare," Chase told her.

Sophie slammed the book closed, grimacing at tears welled up in her eyes, turning away from Chase. He touched her shoulder, pulling her back to face him.

"There's a blood test to check for parvovirus b19. It'll tell us if you've been infected or if you're immune to it, which you might be. Let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said.

Sophie looked deeply into his eyes, clinging to any shreds of hope that he was trying to give her.

"… Ok," she acquiesced.

TBC…


	17. Chapter 17

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS FOR BEING SO PATIENT, FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! **

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**CHAPTER 17: Please read and comment.**

That evening, Ingrid had just come out of the shower when she heard a knock at her front door.

Knowing exactly who was knocking, she tsked as she ran a comb through her wet long hair and then wrapped a large bath towel around her body before making her way through her living room to the door.

She opened the door to find Wilson standing there with a pathetically apologetic look on his face.

She shifted her weight and folded her arms across her chest, her long dark hair wet and hanging down her back.

"I'm sorry," Wilson told her sincerely.

She raised an eyebrow at him, saying nothing, waiting for him to continue.

"I was _INCREDIBLY_ stressed," he began.

But when she didn't move an inch, Wilson knew that he wouldn't be able to glean any sympathy from her.

"But that doesn't excuse what an inconsiderate jerk I was to tell you to get House a sandwich," he added quickly, changing his tactic.

She blinked once, pressing her lips together and nodded slowly, keeping an even gaze on him.

"It was thoughtless, and rude, and you didn't deserve the way I treated you, and I don't blame you if you never want to see me again," he continued.

She kept her stance, still saying nothing.

"You could stop me at any time," he offered.

"No. Keep going. You are doing well," she said lightly.

As she maintained her stoic expression, Wilson exhaled deeply, his shoulders slumping. He then nodded and turned to leave with a heavy heart.

"…Wait," Ingrid mumbled reluctantly.

Wilson turned back to face her, wearing his best sheepish and contrite expression that he had mastered over the years as he approached her.

"Yes, you were an inconsiderate jerk…" she began.

"… But… I do understand how much pressure you have been feeling," she continued.

Feeling hopeful, Wilson stepped closer to her, smiling just a little, still looking as apologetic as possible.

"So I am going to let you in…" she said, pausing for effect as she walked her fingers up the buttons on his shirt.

"… And give you a full body massage," she finished.

"… Really?" he asked, dumbfounded, as his eyebrows popped.

She nodded with a tiny smile.

He exhaled in relief. "Oh Ingrid, you don't how wonderful—"

"_Naked_," she added flatly, interrupting him.

At this, Wilson's words stopped in his throat as the bulge in his pants began to grow.

"_You_... naked… or _ME_ naked?" he clarified, hoping he wasn't pushing his luck.

Her tiny smile broadened.

"Can't we do both?" she suggested.

"_Yes_. Yes we can," he stated in enthusiastic agreement before following her into her apartment.

* * *

"Take off your clothes," Ingrid ordered him once they had reached her bedroom.

Wilson complied immediately, kicking off his shoes and unbuttoning his shirt and shrugging out of it at a frenetic pace, moving on to his pants just as quickly.

Standing in the middle of her bedroom wearing only his boxers and a pair of brown socks, Wilson gave her an eager look, causing Ingrid to stifle the laugh that was bubbling up inside her.

"You are not naked yet," she pointed out.

"Oh! Sorry," he said, hooking his thumbs in his boxers.

Still wearing the towel, Ingrid finally giggled and placed her hands on top of his, giving him a sultry gaze.

"Allow me…" she told him.

Wilson swallowed, his heart hammering as Ingrid slowly peeled off his boxers, his erection springing free as she pulled them down past his legs. He kicked them off the rest of the way, removing his socks in the process.

"Lie down on the bed on your back," she told him.

He willingly complied, sliding his hands underneath the pillow as he turned his head towards her.

His eyes widened just a bit as Ingrid undid her towel, letting it slide to the floor. His cock throbbed as his eyes traced over her perky, round breasts. He darted his tongue out to lick his lips at the anticipation of wrapping them around her gorgeous, erect nipples.

His gaze trailed further down her naked body, his breath shallow as she stood there demurely for him.

She then climbed up onto the bed, straddling his body, rubbing her sex against his now throbbing erection. His pulse and breath quickened as he reached up to touch her. But she quickly slapped his hand away.

"Do not touch me," she ordered him.

"I thought you forgave me," he said, his heart hammering and his cock pulsating at how she had taken the lead.

"I never said that," she pointed out in a sultry manner.

He nodded dutifully. She leaned over him, her breasts brushing up against his face as he began to massage his shoulders. As he darted his tongue out to lick her nipple, she pulled back out of his reach.

"What did I say?" she scolded him lightly.

"You said don't _TOUCH_ you," he pointed out with a boyish smile.

She arched her eyebrow at him, a tiny smile forming on her face.

She then lowered herself all the way down to him, brushing his lips gently with her own. Getting lost in her kiss, Wilson trailed his hands up from her hips to her waist, then to her breasts.

"So what's my punishment?" he murmured against her lips.

In one swift motion, Ingrid rolled off of him, pulling him on top of her, much to his surprise.

"_You_ are on top this time," she told him, her dark eyes glittering.

* * *

House snapped his cell phone shut just as Cuddy padded into their bedroom, wearing a large white towel around her body. Her hair was swept up off her neck in a large clip.

House tilted his head slightly, vividly imagining what she looked like underneath the towel. He smiled just a little at the sight of her slightly rounded belly showing through the terry cloth fabric.

"What did he say?" Cuddy asked, taking the towel off her and tossing it in the hamper in the corner of their bedroom.

House widened his eyes, blinking twice at the sight of Cuddy's now more prominent curves. Her breasts were beyond full, her nipples richly darker. Her lovely hips were more rounded, making her slightly swollen belly seem even more feminine.

"…We're meeting over high priced lattes tomorrow morning," he finally replied, still distracted by her, his eyes tracing every inch of her.

"How did you convince him to do that?" she asked him as she turned away from him and towards her dresser to find something to wear.

"High prices lattes sell themselves. They're like crack," House said, ogling over her ass while she continued to root through her underwear drawer, his cock swelling in approval inside his plaid pajama pants.

"Yeah, right," she stated sarcastically.

Not bothering with underwear, Cuddy slipped on a lavender cotton camisole and matching shorties before removing the clip from her hair, causing it to tumble about her shoulders.

"A job is a job. Doesn't matter who hires you, as long as you get paid," House told her as she climbed slowly into the bed next to him, turning her body away from his as he spooned up behind her.

Cuddy rolled her eyes skyward as she felt his erection press against her behind and his hand gently cup her breast over her camisole.

"Sobol still hasn't cleared us for sex," she reminded him.

"Just showing my appreciation…" he murmured into her neck as he stroked his thumb over her nipple.

She closed her eyes, trying to enjoy House's touch and soft kisses against her skin.

But the events of the day and the current financial trouble the hospital was in was preventing her from relaxing.

"Carson said I failed," she said sadly.

"Carson's an asshole," he said, sliding his hand down her abdomen to her thigh.

"Six board members voted to get rid of me," she said.

"And six board members voted to _KEEP_ you," he reminded her, his hand inching its way to the inside of her thigh.

"They only voted to keep me because they think that I'm the only person besides Wilson who can keep you in your cage," she muttered.

"They're right," he told her.

"And since I bring a ton of _money_ into that place, it's important that my cage be kept clean," he added.

"You also bring a ton of _lawsuits_," she said.

"I've been good lately," he pointed out, rolling her onto her back and getting comfortable next to her.

She breathed out a laugh. "...Yes you have," she admitted.

He gave her a little smile, giving her breast another gentle squeeze.

"You want me to put laxatives in Carson's coffee tomorrow?" he asked her.

She laughed out loud. "Don't tempt me."

"See? That's how devoted I am to you. I'm willing to give the Chairman of the Board the trots just because he voted against you," he said, his lips turning up at the corners.

"You're such a romantic," she cooed, caressing the scruff on his cheek.

"It's a curse," he replied, without missing a beat.

Still caressing his cheek, she began to get lost in his eyes, which still managed to make her heart flutter after twenty years.

"I saw you watching me from the window of the conference room," she said.

"I'm a whore when it comes to gossip," he told her.

"You were _worried_ about me," she stated, knowing that his remark was merely his way of deflecting his true feelings.

House tsked. "You were in a wheelchair surrounded by doctors—" he began dismissively.

"Chase brought you that sandwich and you didn't even touch it," she pointed out.

"I wasn't hungry," he said dismissively.

"You're _ALWAYS_ hungry," she retorted.

"I liked it better when I was feeling you up," he told her.

She smiled. "I love you, too."

As he kissed her, she moaned into his mouth, loving the feeling of his soft, searching tongue against hers. He trailed his mouth down her neck to her breast, kissing her tenderly, his tongue lingering around her areola. She smiled happily, arching her back for him just a bit.

"Sobol needs to clear us for sex _IMMEDIATELY_," he murmured against her breast as his hand made its way back to her ass.

"What time's your latte meeting tomorrow?" she asked him, threading her fingers through the back of his hair.

"Nine am," he said, kissing his way down her body.

She touched his chin, causing him to look up at her.

"Don't be late," she told him somberly.

* * *

The next morning at 9:20 AM, House got out of his car in the parking lot of Starbucks and limped towards one of the outside tables.

House smirked ever so slightly when he saw that Michael Tritter, the detective who had arrested him for possession and almost put him in prison three years ago, was sitting there waiting for him, smoking a cigarette.

"Told you you'd be back on the butts," House said as he reached the table.

Tritter glanced up at him before taking another drag from his cigarette.

"You're late," Tritter commented in his signature raspy voice, tapping the ashes off his cigarette in a nearby ashtray.

"I know. I wanted to see how long you'd wait," House told him. "You're still here after twenty minutes, which means you're desperate."

Tritter breathed out a laugh. "Same son of a bitch."

House took a seat across from him at the table, meeting his eyes.

"Not exactly. I'm married now," House told him.

"Mail order bride?" Tritter asked, not missing a beat.

"Nope. Cuddy," House replied, fighting the smile that was threatening to show itself.

"Figures. The way she perjured herself on the stand for you three years ago could've only been out of love," Tritter said, feeling his own smile start to surface.

At this, House's smile faded.

"You _KNEW_?" he asked, truly surprised.

"Of course I knew," Tritter replied with a shrug, taking another drag from his cigarette.

"… Then why did you—" House began.

"Couldn't prove it," Tritter interrupted him.

"Funny how our legal system works, huh?" he added sardonically, blowing out a steady stream of smoke in House's face.

"That why you quit the force and went into private investigation?" House asked, not moving an inch, keeping his gaze locked on the other man.

Twitter drew in a breath, blowing the remainder of the smoke out of his nose.

He then glanced at his cigarette, tapping off the ashes once again.

"…What's the job?" Tritter asked reluctantly.

* * *

"I got your labs back," Dr. Sobol announced as he walked into one of the exam rooms in his office.

Sophie squeezed Chase's hand tighter as she sat on the table. Standing next to her, Chase kept a critical gaze on Sobol as he opened Sophie's file and calmly scanned the results.

"…You're immune to parvovirus b19 and have no signs of infection. You have nothing to worry about," Sobol read off the lab printout with a confident smile on his face.

"Oh thank _GOD_!" Sophie exclaimed, her entire body slumping in relief.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, smiling happily. Chase hugged her back.

But he didn't smile.

"You probably had Fifth's Disease as a child. It's a common illness," Sobol told her, to which she nodded.

"While you're here, let's see what's going on," he told her.

Still smiling, Sophie lay back on the exam table, lifting up her shirt. As Sobol placed the Doppler sonar transducer on her tiny belly, she felt tears of relief start to well up as she heard the strong and steady heartbeat of her and Chase's unborn baby.

"Sounds great," Sobol told both of them.

"Should she get a sonogram?" Chase asked, still concerned.

"Her twelve week appointment is next week. We'll do it then," Sobol replied.

"_Any restrictions_?" Chase asked in a leading tone, hoping Sobol would get his hint.

"Nope," Sobol replied. "See you in a week," he added before leaving the room.

Sophie hopped off the table still grinning, too ecstatic to notice the dark look of concern on Chase's face.

* * *

Later that evening, Chase and Sophie were having dinner in their dining room. Sophie had made chicken parm, his favorite, with a summer pasta salad.

But while Sophie ate, Chase barely touched his food, his thoughts still on Sobol's words during her appointment.

Sophie watched him, knowing that something was troubling him. But part of her didn't want to press him.

"...Not hungry?" she asked gently, trying to break the ice.

He shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Do you want me to make you something else?" she offered.

He pushed his food around his plate, avoiding her sweet smile. He didn't have the heart to tell her what he had been thinking about since her appointment that morning.

But he knew he had to tell her something.

"…I... don't think I'm gonna be able to take a paternity leave," he lied, finally looking up at her.

"…Why not?" she asked, surprised and slightly disappointed.

"I just don't think it's a good idea with everything going on right now. The Board almost voted to get rid of Cuddy today. People are going to lose their jobs—" he began.

"You won't lose your job. You're a department head," she reassured him. "And the Family Medical Leave Act guarantees you twelve weeks."

"They might take benefits away," he pointed out.

"If the Board takes _that_ away, they're breaking the law," she reminded him.

Chase exhaled through his nose, looking back down at his plate.

"What's wrong?" she asked, reaching across the table for his hand.

Anxiety spreading throughout his chest, he knew he didn't have a choice but to tell her the truth.

"I don't want you to work in the Clinic anymore," Chase confessed softly.

For a moment, Sophie merely stared at him, dumbfounded.

"…Because of what happened? Honey, Sobol said there's nothing to worry about—" she said.

"_THIS_ time there wasn't. What about _NEXT_ time?" he asked, looking back up at her.

She shook her head. "Don't you think he would've told me that working in the Clinic was dangerous if it actually was?"

"Sobol doesn't know everything," he stated. "Every time you see a contagious patient, you're putting the baby at risk."

"_Plenty_ of women in health care work while they're pregnant. And you know that without the Clinic hours I can't finish school," she reminded him.

"You weren't planning on finishing school anyway, remember?" he told her.

Sophie's eyes widened. "So you want me to just drop out?"

"Just take your leave of absence early," he said.

"I'll have to repeat my entire fourth year. I already lost credits when I transferred," she argued.

"Sophie…" he began, starting to lose patience.

"At this rate, I'll never do my residency—" she continued.

"_Sophie, you're NEVER gonna be a doctor_," he interrupted her flatly.

She stared at him, stunned, at a complete loss for words.

Pressing her tongue against the inside of her cheek, a laugh of disgust escaping her throat, she got up from the table, left the dining room and headed up the stairs to their bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

A few moments later, lying on her side on their bed, she flinched when she heard the front door slam, following by the sound of Chase's car peeling out of the driveway.

TBC.


	18. Chapter 18

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR PATIENCE. SORRY FOR THE DELAY. RL HAS BEEN HECTIC AND THE SITE WASN'T LETTING ME UPLOAD THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**BUT HERE IT IS!**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 18: Please read and comment.**

That night, House limped down the hallway towards the hospital cafeteria. He was working late on a case and thought he could possibly scam the cashier into putting a Reuben onto Wilson's tab.

When he entered the dimly lit and almost empty café, he immediately spotted Chase sitting in a booth against the wall, hunched over a cup of coffee with a miserable expression on his face.

Chase was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice House until the older man was hovering over him.

"Working late?" House asked him, snapping Chase out of his haze.

"Before you even answer, I know you're not working late," House said as Chase opened his mouth to answer House's question as he sat down in the booth across from him.

"Then why'd you even ask me?" Chase demanded.

"Isn't that how people start conversations in this situation?" House asked.

Chase leaned back against the booth and started idly playing with the loose change on the table top that the cashier had given him when he had paid for his coffee. House eyed him contemplatively as Chase somehow managed to twirl a quarter back and forth between his fingertips.

"So what did you do wrong?" House asked him in a knowing tone.

"Why do you assume I did something wrong?" Chase muttered as he continued to twirl the quarter.

"Because you have that grumpy, pouty look that you always get when you did something wrong. Like a dog that got hit in the nose with a rolled up newspaper," House replied.

Chase heaved a breath and lightly slapped the quarter on the table. House kept an expectant gaze on him, waiting for his answer.

"I told Sophie that she's never gonna be a doctor," Chase admitted quietly.

House raised an eyebrow. "… Ok… I'm sure there was some shred of logic behind that when you said it."

"She was exposed to Fifth's Disease in the Clinic the other day—" Chase began.

"Is she all right?" House interrupted him.

Chase could swear that he wasn't imagining the concern in House's voice or the fact that he sat up just a little straighter in the booth.

"… She's… immune to the virus… and the blood work showed no sign of infection," Chase replied, still thrown by House's interest in Sophie's condition.

"…Oh," House said, his posture relaxing again.

"But she's putting the baby at risk every time she goes into the Clinic," Chase added. "And when she's further along, she's gonna be on her feet all day—"

"You told her you want her to quit school," House interrupted again, finally putting all the pieces together.

Chase kept his aquamarine eyes on the older doctor for a moment longer before looking back down at the table top, the shame rising inside him.

"You got _scared_," House told him.

"You were just as scared as I was when Cuddy came to the hospital in a wheelchair," Chase argued.

"And it didn't matter. Cuddy did what she thought she had to do," House pointed out.

"Which is why it's up to Sophie and not you if she wants to quit school," he added.

Chase nodded slowly, finding himself unable to look House in the eye.

But House's gaze on him never wavered.

"You want me to fire her?" House asked him.

"You can't fire her. She doesn't get paid," Chase muttered.

"Which means you _did_ want me to fire her," House said.

Chase drew in a breath and exhaled through his nose.

"…I'm a dick, right?" Chase mumbled.

"Yes," House replied.

Chase snorted and leaned back against the booth, thoroughly disgusted with himself.

House kept his gaze on Chase for a moment longer.

He then took Chase's change from his coffee off the table top, got up out of the booth and headed to the cashier, leaving Chase at the table by himself.

* * *

At the same time Chase was brooding into his coffee, Sophie was in her and Chase's bedroom, lying on her side, telling Cuddy over the phone that Chase had told her that she was never going to be a doctor before storming out of the condo.

"He actually _TOLD_ you that?!" Cuddy exclaimed, truly shocked.

"Yeah," Sophie said, miserably.

"What would possibly make him say something like that?" Cuddy asked her.

Sophie let out a long, slow breath. "…He wants me to quit school," she mumbled.

"Why?" Cuddy demanded, still not understanding any of this.

"I had a scare in the Clinic the other day. A patient came in with Fifth's Disease," Sophie said.

Cuddy was silent on the other end, holding her breath.

"I'm ok," Sophie added quickly. "I'm immune to it."

"Oh," Cuddy said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"But we both got scared… Robbie _REALLY_ got scared… and now he thinks that it's dangerous for me to work in the Clinic because of the high chance of infection," Sophie explained.

At this, Cuddy fell silent again, not wanting to admit out loud to Sophie that there was a higher chance of her contracting an infection if she continued to work in the Clinic.

"Part of me knows he's right," Sophie said begrudgingly, understanding the meaning behind Cuddy's silence. "And I already know that I'm not finishing my coursework this year or doing my residency anytime soon."

"Well he could have said that instead of telling you that you're never gonna be a doctor," Cuddy pointed out.

"I know…" Sophie said.

"… You think something else is bothering him?" Cuddy asked.

"I think this whole mess with the missing money has unnerved him… and I don't understand why. He's a department head. And we have savings," Sophie said, the uncertainty clear in her voice.

"…Did Chase ever tell you about Edward Vogler?" Cuddy asked on the other end after a contemplative pause.

"No. Who's that?" Sophie asked.

"Edward Vogler was a billionaire who donated one- hundred million dollars to the hospital a few years ago," Cuddy replied. "Because of his donation, he became Chairman of the Board."

"House hated him from the start, claiming we'd all be under his thumb eventually," Cuddy continued.

"… Was he right?" Sophie asked, having a feeling that she already knew the answer.

Cuddy laughed. "Vogler gave House a week to fire someone just to prove that he could make him dance to his tune…" she said, trailing off.

"… And… Chase fed him information to save his job," Cuddy finished.

For a moment, Sophie was so shocked that she couldn't say anything.

"…He ratted out _House_?" she finally said, unable to picture Chase doing anything like that.

"It was a long time ago," Cuddy said. "Chase wasn't the same person back then that he is now… but…"

"But people don't change," Sophie finished for her.

Cuddy smiled a bit on the other end. "That's right."

"So you think he's going to leave me if I don't quit," Sophie said, barely above a whisper.

"No! No, that's not what I meant at all!" Cuddy quickly said, stunned that Sophie would even suggest such a thing.

"Then… I don't understand," Sophie said.

"I mean that now that you're pregnant, I think he's scared because he knows that now he has to take care of two people besides himself," Cuddy explained.

"…And the last time he had to take care of anyone, it was his mum," Sophie said sadly, finally understanding.

A silence hovered between the women for a moment as Cuddy waited for Sophie to gather her thoughts.

"You think Robbie blames himself for what happened to her?" Sophie finally asked.

"I don't know," Cuddy answered honestly.

"…What happened to Edward Vogler?" Sophie asked her.

"I got rid of him," Cuddy replied dismissively.

Upon hearing this, a slow smile crept across Sophie's face.

"For House?" she asked.

"No, because Vogler was a cold, corporate suit who only cared about Clinical trials and didn't give a damn about patients," Cuddy replied.

"House doesn't give a damn about patients, either," Sophie pointed out with a grin.

Having no response, Cuddy remained silent, knowing that Sophie had her there.

"You got rid of Vogler to save House… and the hospital lost one- hundred million dollars because of it," Sophie stated triumphantly.

Another sheepish laugh escaped Cuddy's lips.

"The things we do for love, huh?" Cuddy said.

* * *

About an hour later, Chase trudged through the door, his ankle throbbing slightly, as it always did when he was aggravated.

He headed into the kitchen and tossed his keys into the small pink key bowl that Sophie kept there, wondering how the hell he was going to face her after leaving the house the way he did earlier.

He then quietly went up the stairs to the spare bedroom, where he had been sleeping after Sophie had moved back in with him, before they had gotten back together.

As he began to open up the day bed, thinking to himself that Sophie would most likely not want him to sleep in their bed tonight with her, the laser printer that was resting on the desk suddenly came to life, startling Chase slightly.

He turned and watched a single sheet of paper come out of it.

Curious, he took the few steps over to the printer and picked up the sheet of paper. As he read the body of the one line form letter, his eyes widened tremendously.

**"To Whom It May Concern:**

**Please be aware that I will be taking a permanent leave of absence from Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital Medical School, effective immediately.**

**Sincerely,**

**Sophia Wilson"**

"What are you doing in here?" Sophie asked.

Chase turned towards the doorway to see Sophie in her pajamas and barefoot, surprised to see him in the spare room.

"… Figured… you wouldn't want me in the bed tonight. What's this?" Chase asked, turning his attention back to the letter in his hand.

"…Why wouldn't I want you in the bed?" Sophie asked, scrunching up her face in confusion.

"Sophie, what _IS_ this?" Chase repeated more insistently.

Sophie smiled a little, leaning against the doorframe.

"I tried to de- register online, but the registrar's office requires an actual letter," she explained.

Chase lips parted, still stunned, not having any idea how to respond.

"Like you said… I'm not planning on finishing my fourth year anyway…" she began, walking towards him.

"…And I figured if Cuddy could sacrifice a hundred million dollars for House... then I can quit school for you," she finished, the tiny smile still on her face.

"Sophie, I had no right to tell you that you're never going to be a doctor," Chase said in apology. "And if you don't want to leave school—"

"You know what I want?" she told him, gazing into the eyes that took her breath away from the moment she saw him.

"What?" he asked.

"I wanna be your wife… and have a lot of babies with you," she told him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"What about your career?" he asked her.

"Sometimes, things don't go the way you planned," she replied simply.

Chase studied her entire face, wrapping his arms about her waist, wondering if she was honestly happy with that answer.

"Because sometimes incredible, _wonderful_ things happen instead," she added, smiling at him.

He smiled back, his eyes reflecting the warmth and love he felt for her in his heart.

"Besides, I already spoke to Cuddy and she convinced House to throw me a couple hundred bucks a week to do his case paperwork," she added with a shrug.

Chase laughed out loud, pulling her into a hug and kissing her cheek before nestling his face in her hair.

"I'll hang out in his office. He never sees patients anyway," she told him, loving how wonderful it felt to be close to him again.

"And you'll get to play with his ball," Chase added, grinning.

"Well then how can I refuse?" she teased, pulling back slightly to caress his face.

As she felt the soft layer of scruff on his cheek, Chase's face fell slightly.

"I … thought about asking him to fire you," he admitted to her, embarrassed.

"I know. House told me," she said.

Chase felt humiliation spread through his chest. He turned away from her, but she kept her hand on his cheek, gently turning him back towards her.

"And I know why you did it," she told him.

Chase nodded, getting lost in her deep brown eyes.

"He wouldn't do it," Chase said, barely above a whisper.

"…He… didn't want to lose you," he continued, his eyes welling up out of nowhere, suddenly realizing that his words about House were his own feelings as well.

Sophie placed both hands on his cheeks, stood on her toes and brushed her lips against his. He pulled her into an embrace, deepening their kiss, his warm mouth pliant against hers.

He led her over to the day bed and lay down with her, their legs entangling in each other's. He kissed her tenderly, as if trying to search the deepest part of her. She whimpered as he pulled her close to him, his hand lightly traveling down her side, resting on her tiny belly.

"… Are you sure about this?" he managed to say, his breath shallow.

"…Yes," she breathed, getting lost in the feeling of his lips against hers.

"I just... I can't believe you doing this for me," he murmured as his lips trailed down her neck to her collarbone.

"... Not just for you..." she said, barely above a whisper.

TBC…


	19. Chapter 19

**HI EVERYONE!**

**SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN AROUND. RL HAS BEEN EXTREMELY HECTIC.**

**I HOPE PEOPLE ARE STILL READING THIS!**

**BECAUSE HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**AND THINGS ARE GOING TO GET INTERESTING...**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 19:**

**TWO WEEKS LATER.**

Cuddy was lying on her back on an exam table as Dr. Sobol, her OB/Gyn, listened to her unborn baby's heartbeat with the sonar Doppler. As the dulcet, yet rapid sounds echoed through the office, Cuddy held her breath, waiting for Sobol to say what she already knew.

"Sounds great," Sobol said confidently.

Cuddy smiled, breathing a sigh of relief as she sat up from her prone position.

As per Sobol's orders, she had been on limited bed rest, only going out for an hour or so every few days because she had been spotting since early on in the pregnancy.

But now that she was at sixteen weeks, the furthest along she had ever been in any previous pregnancy, Sobol promised that he would reassess her condition and hopefully take her off bedrest.

House was sitting on a stool next to her, bouncing his knee in anticipation as Sobol took Cuddy's blood pressure.

"…BP looks good…" he commented, noting that it was 100/ 70.

"…Weight gain looks good, too…" he added, as he read her chart.

Cuddy nodded, pressing her lips together, staying silent as he continued to read.

"Are you still spotting?" Sobol asked her.

"Nope," Cuddy replied.

"For how long?"

"A week," she told him.

"Everything else ok? No aches or pains?" he asked.

"Nothing. I feel great," she answered earnestly, trying not to get her hopes up.

House remained silent during their exchange, expecting Sobol to say that there was no reason to change things, since her pregnancy was going so well.

Sobol glanced at House, then at Cuddy, his soft hazel eyes twinkling.

"Then it's time you got off bed rest, Dr. Cuddy," Sobol told her with a smile.

"Oh thank _god_!!" Cuddy stated happily, her entire body relaxing before leaning over and giving Sobol a hug, who couldn't help but laugh.

"I'm sure you two have some questions," Sobol said after returning her hug.

"When can I go back to work?" Cuddy asked him.

"_THAT'S_ your first question?!" House demanded, earning a hard glare from her.

Sobol chuckled, knowing perfectly well that all House was interested in was getting the green light for sex.

"You can go back to work anytime you want, but take it slow. Do one thing at a time. Try not to work late if you don't have to," Sobol advised her.

"And _NO_ high heels," he added.

Cuddy tsked, rolling her eyes. "I'm _great_ in heels. I could run a marathon in heels if I had to."

"Well, you're hopefully going to be gaining more weight, which means that heels will put strain on your ankles, your legs and your back," Sobol told her.

"…All right," she acquiesced.

"When can we start having sex?" House asked pointedly.

"You can have sex anytime you want, but take it slow…" he said, his lips turning up at the corners.

"...Do one thing at a time… try not to work late if you don't have to…" Sobol continued, his smirk broadening.

"And no heels, right?" House added, deadpan.

Sobol stifled a laugh as he gathered up Cuddy's file.

"Good- bye," he told both of them in a sing- song voice before letting himself out.

After Sobol had left, House turned to Cuddy with a tiny, closed lipped smile on his face, his cock already beginning to swell in his pants at the prospect of having sex with Cuddy in the extremely near future.

But Cuddy had already hopped off the exam table and had grabbed her purse off of a nearby stool.

House watched her curiously as she dug through her back, pulled out a tube of lipstick and began to apply it to her lips.

"You're putting on lipstick," House stated.

"How very observant of you," Cuddy said, twisting the tube closed and placing the cap on it.

"You're going back to work this _MINUTE_?!" House demanded.

"Sobol said I could go back anytime I want. And I want to right now," she replied, fluffing out her hair and smoothing out her blouse over the front of her rounded belly.

At this, House took a few steps towards her and gently grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards him.

"He also said we can start having _sex_ anytime we want to," House countered, his sexy gaze penetrating her.

"_And I want to. Right now_," he added, his voice slightly husky.

"We're not having sex in this hospital right now," she told him, ignoring her own growing arousal that was twitching between her legs.

"You owe me," he told her flatly.

She raised her eyebrow for a moment.

Then she laughed right in his face.

"I _OWE_ you?!" she asked, incredulous.

At this, House took his wallet out of his back pocket, opened it, and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper that he had been keeping in there for the last few months. Without a word, he handed it to her.

She gave him a skeptical look but took the paper and unfolded it, a sheepish expression forming on her face as she read it:

"**I.O.U.**

**SEX ON MY DESK**

**LISA CUDDY"**

"You gave this to me after we took a pregnancy test in Paris," House reminded her.

Cuddy smiled a bit, remembering that he pushed her into taking a pregnancy test exactly two weeks after having sex when they were in Paris for Cameron's wedding.

He then surprised her right then and there by calling down to the concierge, asking where they could get married that night.

It was the most spontaneous, romantic thing that any man had ever done for her.

And remembering it now just made her love him even more.

But she was having too much fun stringing him along to give in, despite her now slightly raging and quite happy pregnancy hormones.

"And you want to cash it in right now?" she asked, teasingly.

"No time like the present," he replied.

"…I thought maybe our first night together could be a little more special," she said coyly, tracing her fingertips up the buttons of his shirt.

"I'm a man. I don't need a lot of prep work," he said.

Her soft grey eyes glimmered as she gazed up at him. She leaned closer to him and gave him a soft, fleeting kiss.

"You've waited this long…." she said, brushing her lips against his over and over again.

"…I think you can wait a few more hours…" she whispered against his mouth.

"You're shooting me down for paperwork," he realized, pulling her closer and sliding his hand up her torso to her breast.

Her breath caught at the feeling of his hand squeezing her gently under the curve of her breast. She lolled her head back as his lips began to trail down her neck.

"I'm shooting you down… because I have to find a way… to save this hospital from financial ruin, remember?" she asked breathlessly.

"Tritter'll find the money…" he breathed, unconcerned, against her neck as he teased her nipple over her blouse with his fingertips.

Reluctantly, she disentangled herself from his embrace and stepped back.

"Well until that happens, I've got work to do," she told him.

His cock now throbbing in his pants, he exhaled deeply in frustration. She kissed him one more time on his lips.

"I'll see you tonight," she told him sexily, grabbing her purse before leaving the room.

House, now alone in the exam room, looked down at the bulge in his pants and then back up at the closed door to the exam room.

"_Wuss_!" he called out loudly from behind the door, knowing that she could still hear him.

But after initially laughing at his outburst as she left Sobol's office, her face fell, knowing exactly what was waiting for her back in her own office.

And knowing exactly what she had to do.

And she was dreading it.

* * *

As House headed back to his office, with a slight spring in his step despite the fact that his erection was now gone, he glanced through the glass wall of his conference room.

He could see Foreman, Thirteen and Sophie sitting at the conference table, engrossed in discussion, perusing though what looked like copies of a patient's file.

"What are you doing?" House demanded rather harshly of Sophie as he made his way through the glass doors.

Confused at House's curt demeanor, Sophie looked at Foreman and Thirteen before turning her attention back towards her new boss.

It had been two weeks since she had dropped out of medical school.

Since then, she had been working for House, doing filing, completing his insurance paperwork and doing any other menial tasks he gave her, which usually involved getting him coffee or a snack, or indulging him in an impromptu poker game when he was bored.

But this was the first time he had snapped at her.

"…We were just talking about the case," Sophie said.

"It's not your case. It's _THEIR_ case," House told her flatly, nodding towards Foreman and Thirteen, who remained silent.

"I just… gave them my opinion—" she began.

"You decided to quit med school to become a secretary. Your opinion is _meaningless_," he interrupted her flatly.

Sophie held her breath at his words, keeping a stoic gaze on him, refusing to admit to him or herself that his remark had actually stung.

"Now go back into my office and do your damn job," he ordered her.

Sophie exhaled and got up from the table in silence, closing the glass door behind her as she went back into House's private office.

"So what's up?" House said almost jovially as he took a seat at the glass table.

"I take it Sobol didn't clear you and Cuddy for sex," Foreman commented.

"No. He did," House replied lightly.

"Then what was _THAT_ all about?" Thirteen asked, furrowing her brow.

Foreman breathed out a sigh, finally understanding House's motives.

"_THAT_ was House's way of telling Sophie that she made a huge mistake by taking a leave of absence from med school," Foreman explained to her.

"… Which means… you actually _CARE_ that she's taking a leave of absence," Thirteen clarified.

"She's an idiot," House muttered, causing Foreman to laugh aloud.

"So that's your plan? To insult her and make her life miserable until she realizes the error of her ways?" Foreman asked.

"Yes," House replied.

"She quit for a reason. She had a scare in the Clinic—" Thirteen began.

"She's throwing her whole life away to be barefoot and pregnant because _CHASE_ got scared," House stated bluntly, refusing to listen to Thirteen's view on the issue.

But Thirteen wouldn't let up.

"She _LOVES_ him and she's doing what she thinks is right," Thirteen insisted.

House locked eyes across the table at Thirteen.

"She's _WRONG_," House said.

* * *

In the early afternoon, Chase was in the cafeteria, eating a BLT and reading the New York Times, when Wilson walked up to him.

"Dining alone?" Wilson asked pointedly, taking a seat across from him at the table.

"Sophie's busy," Chase replied as he chewed, turning the page of the paper, not bothering to look up at Wilson, knowing exactly his motive for approaching him.

Wilson nodded once.

"… Doing paperwork for House," he clarified, waiting for Chase's reaction.

Chase glanced up from the paper with only his eyes at Wilson.

He then chewed and swallowed the remainder of the bite of the sandwich and leaned back in his chair, fixing his gaze on Wilson.

"What's your point?" Chase asked, his voice a mixture of annoyance and defensiveness, trying to remain calm.

Wilson leaned forward across the table, folding his hands together.

"Whose idea was it for her to quit school? Yours or hers?" Wilson asked plainly.

"Hers," Chase replied, not missing a beat.

Wilson paused for a moment, pressing his lips together.

"And you didn't say _ANYTHING_ to persuade her," Wilson clarified.

"Nope," Chase said, popping the '_p_' in the word to make his point.

Wilson continued to stare at Chase for a moment longer, his blood starting to boil within him.

"You told her that she was never going to be a doctor," Wilson said.

Chase merely laughed in mild disgust and shook his head.

"If you already knew that, then why are you even asking me anything?" he demanded.

"Because she's throwing her entire _career_ away for you, and I want to make _SURE_ that it was her idea and not yours," Wilson told him, his tone becoming slightly menacing.

Chase hardened his jaw, his own anger growing at Wilson.

"This is how House must feel every time you stick your nose into his personal life," Chase snarked. "I actually feel sorry for him."

"She loves you more than anything. She'll do anything for you. You know damn well that she only did this because you want her to," Wilson continued, ignoring Chase's remark.

"And this is none of your business," Chase stated, slowly and evenly.

"Really," Wilson retorted.

"Yeah. She's _my_ fiancée, she's carrying _my_ baby, and what _we_ decide to do with _our_ lives has _NOTHING_ to do with you," Chase shot back, his blue- green eyes ablaze.

"Sophie gave Foreman and Thirteen her opinion on one of House's cases. House kicked her out of the room and told her that her opinion was meaningless because she dropped out of school," Wilson told him, refusing to back down.

At this, Chase felt his stomach turn, imagining how hurt Sophie must have been by House's insult.

But he wouldn't give Wilson the satisfaction.

"This is none of your business," Chase merely repeated softly as he turned his attention back to his sandwich and newspaper.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Dr. Cuddy?" Ingrid asked from the doorway to Cuddy's office.

Looking up from her paperwork, Cuddy steeled herself as she got up from her desk.

"Yes, Ingrid. Have a seat," she told her, gesturing to one of the empty chairs in front of her desk.

Ingrid sat in the chair that Cuddy offered her, giving her a friendly smile.

"It is good to have you back," Ingrid said.

"Thank you," Cuddy replied with a nod, her heart aching at what she was about to say to the younger woman.

She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts as Ingrid waited patiently for her to say something.

"Ingrid… because of the recent financial trouble that the hospital has been in… the Board has been forced to make some changes in personnel…" Cuddy began as gently as she could.

Ingrid paused for a moment before nodding, a painful feeling surging through her chest as she waited silently for Cuddy to tell her what she already knew.

"We've… had to downsize some people from several departments and eliminate other positions—" Cuddy continued.

"You are firing me," Ingrid said.

Cuddy's entire face fell, the guilt washing over her like a tidal wave.

"I'm so sorry," Cuddy said sincerely.

Ingrid nodded again.

"… I understand," Ingrid said, not having any idea what else to say.

"I know that you're here on a work visa. I can make some calls to nearby hospitals. I'll make sure that you don't have to leave the country," Cuddy assured her.

For a moment, Ingrid said nothing, not having much faith at the moment in Cuddy's ability to get her another job at another hospital.

But instead of voicing her concerns, she held back the tears that were threatening to escape.

"Thank you," Ingrid replied in a dignified manner.

TBC…


	20. Chapter 20

**HI EVERYONE!**

**I'M SO SORRY THAT I HAVEN'T BEEN AROUND LATELY. PLEASE KNOW THAT I DIDN'T ABANDON THIS STORY. I'VE JUST BEEN BEYOND BUSY AT WORK.**

**BUT HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 20: Please read and comment.**

At around 6 PM that evening, Chase headed down the hallway towards House's office, his ankle throbbing just a little.

He had been on his feet for the better part of the day, and it had been almost three weeks since his last LLLT treatment.

But he was willing to bet that the current pain he was feeling was guilt, brought on by his earlier chat with Wilson in the cafeteria.

Since Sophie had quit school and taken a job as House's secretary two weeks ago, she had been all smiles, often sharing stories with Chase about insane tests House had ordered or outlandish comments House made during the day, gleefully telling him that she managed to beat him almost every time in impromptu games of Hold 'Em that he insisted on having with her.

She never once expressed any regret about taking a leave of absence.

But after Wilson had told him that House had told her that her opinion was meaningless on a differential, Chase had a feeling that this must have hit a nerve, especially since she was further along in the pregnancy and was starting to become a bit more emotional.

Upon reaching House's office, he spotted her through the glass door, standing at House's desk and organizing papers.

Chase plastered a winning smile on his face as he entered the office.

"Hey beautiful," he said.

Sophie looked up quickly, flashing him a smile of her own before focusing back on the papers in front of her.

"Hey," she said, a bit distracted.

"What's the rush? Got a hot date or something?" he joked as he reached the desk.

"I've got my wedding dress fitting in less than an hour," she replied, shifting around the papers. "I don't want to be late."

Having forgotten about her fitting, Chase paused and then merely nodded.

"I just hope it fits. The button on my pants are hanging on for dear life at this point," she added with a little laugh.

Chase smiled at this. Sophie was now fourteen weeks pregnant. Her curves had become more prominent and her belly was now visible.

"I'm sure it'll look gorgeous on you," he assured her.

"Think it's time I bought some maternity clothes?" she asked him with a wink.

He gave her curvy frame a once- over and shrugged.

"…Maybe," he replied vaguely, a sheepish smile forming on his face.

She crossed the few steps to him and planted a kiss on his lips.

"I love how nervous you are to tell me that I've actually gained weight," she said.

He laughed again, half- heartedly, causing Sophie to furrow her brow.

"You ok?" she asked him.

"…Are _YOU_ ok?" Chase asked back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" she asked, confused at the question.

"… James… told me what House said to you today," Chase confessed gently.

"Oh that?" she said with a laugh and a dismissive wave of her hand. "I completely forgot about it."

Chase raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You don't care that House told you that your opinion is meaningless because you quit school?"

"He says shit like that all the time. Half the time I don't even listen to him," she replied, unconcerned.

"…Then if it didn't bother you, why did you mention it to your brother?" he asked.

"Came up in conversation," she said with a shrug.

Chase kept his gaze on her, not entirely sure if he believed her.

"I'm sorry I won't be able to make you dinner tonight. Maybe you should get from Tony's or something," she suggested.

He nodded, still doubting her good spirits.

She glanced at her watch, realizing that it was later than she thought it was.

"I've gotta drop this off at Cuddy's office before I leave," she said while gathering up the papers.

"I'll do it," Chase offered.

She smiled at him gratefully, gave him the papers and another soft, sweet kiss, her lips lingering on his for a moment.

"Thank you," she told him. "And make sure you eat something," she added.

"I will," he said.

"I'll see you later tonight," she said before leaving the office, the smile leaving her face as soon as she was out of Chase's sight.

* * *

At around the same time, Wilson found Ingrid in the locker room, removing the contents of her locker and placing them in a cardboard box that was resting on the floor next to her.

"Spring cleaning?" he asked jovially.

"It is summer," she mumbled softly.

He furrowed his brow. "What are you doing?"

"I have been fired," she stated plainly, as she continued to empty out her locker.

Wilson stared at her, dumbfounded.

For a moment, he couldn't form any words. She glanced at him, not bothering to acknowledge his stunned expression before returning to the task at hand.

_"WHY?!,"_ he finally blurted out.

At this, she finally turned to him. "Dr. Cuddy said that the Board has been forced to make some changes in personnel," she replied simply, quoting Cuddy's earlier statement to her.

"What did you say?" he demanded.

"What _could_ I say?" she replied, as if it was the dumbest question in the world.

"W-what about your work visa?" he pressed worriedly. "Will you have to go back to Brazil?"

She exhaled hard. "Dr. Cuddy said she would try to get me a job in another hospital," she told him, an edge creeping into her voice as she spoke, tossing in her white hooded sweatshirt into the box.

"Well… that's… good at least," Wilson commented, fumbling for the right words.

"What if she cannot?" Ingrid asked, her voice quivering as her real emotions started to surface.

Wilson immediately pulled her close to him, holding her tightly, closing his eyes. She felt the tears begin to well up in her eyes as she pressed her face against his shirt.

They held each other for a few moments, neither of them saying a word, both of them afraid to let each other go.

"…Could you convince Dr. Cuddy to hire me back?" Ingrid finally asked him in a small voice.

At this, Wilson opened his eyes, surprised at her request.

But he was even more surprised that he actually felt uncomfortable about it.

Not wanting to make her more miserable than she already was, he said the only thing that didn't sound like a promise nor a lie.

"...I'll see what I can do," he said.

* * *

A short time later, House entered Cuddy's office, finding her seated at her desk, logging out of her computer.

He smiled slightly at the sight of her, feeling in some way that equilibrium had been restored to his universe. She she was exactly where she belonged, doing exactly what she was great at.

And she looked damn sexy doing it.

The growing erection in his jeans seemed to agree.

"You ready?" he asked her.

Cuddy glanced up at him and then back at her monitor.

"We're not having sex in this office," she stated emphatically.

"Relax. I made us dinner reservations at _Tre Piani_," he told her, crossing the room to her desk.

Upon hearing this, she snapped her head around to stare at him, visibly stunned.

"…I thought you didn't need a lot of prep work," she reminded him lightly.

He shrugged. "I thought you might," he replied, a hint of a sexy smile forming on his face.

She smiled back, feeling her heart actually flutter at the way he was gazing at her.

She then got up, grabbed her purse and her briefcase and left the office with him.

* * *

Around twenty minutes later, House and Cuddy were sitting at an intimate table in the corner of at _Tre Piani_, a chic Italian and Mediterranean restaurant in Princeton.

House had moved the tiny, lit candle off to the side of the tabletop. The glow from the candle cast a soft light over Cuddy's face in the dimly lit restaurant. Her face had become slightly fuller from the pregnancy, her long lashes almost grazing her cheek bones as she focused on her water glass in front of her.

He could swear that he had never seen her more beautiful than at this moment.

House took a sip of the Merlot he had ordered while Cuddy stirred the thin straw in her glass, watching the lime wedge spin in a slow circle.

"You're quiet," House commented.

Cuddy looked up from the glass and gave him a slightly embarrassed smile.

"I'm sorry. I just can't believe you did all this," she replied.

"You're shocked that I made a phone call or that my well hidden romantic side chose to make an appearance?" he asked.

"Both, actually," she admitted.

House kept an even gaze on her, not believing her for a minute. She tsked and sat back in her chair.

"The Board handed down a directive. I had to fire quite a few people today," she confessed.

"You knew that was gonna happen—"

"Ingrid was one of them," she interrupted him.

"… Ok… I wasn't expecting that," House said, genuinely caught off guard.

"The Board gave me a short list of departments to cut people from. Ingrid had the least seniority in PT," she mumbled.

"I told her that I'd make some calls… help her get another job—" she continued.

"You feel guilty," he stated.

"Of _course_ I feel guilty! She's a hard worker with excellent evaluations and a sweet girl—" Cuddy began in agitation.

"You feel guilty because you know her _personally_ and because Wilson is one of your best friends," House said, cutting her off again.

"And because she could be _deported_!!" Cuddy exclaimed.

House continued to stare at her, saying nothing as he observed her focus back on her mineral water and start to stir her drink again idly.

"…Did Wilson say anything to you?" he asked.

"Nope," she muttered.

House raised his eyebrows, finding this fact extremely interesting.

"That's weird," he said.

She shrugged a reply, looking away from her glass and turning her attention to the other patrons in the restaurant, leaning her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand.

After a few moments, Cuddy suddenly became aware of the silence between them and turned back to House with an apologetic expression.

"Did I spoil the mood by talking about this?" she asked.

"Not from my end," he replied, deliberately honing in on her voluptuous breasts.

She glanced down at her cleavage, which was prominently displayed in the blouse she was wearing.

"Admit it. Years ago you wore low cut tops just to get my attention," he said.

"I admit nothing," she replied, a flirtatious smile forming on her face.

"So you wore low cut tops to get _other_ doctor's attention?" he posed.

She grinned. "Wilson asked me to make out with him once on a stairwell."

House's smug attention turned to one of shock. "_Seriously_?"

"Ask him about it," she said, her grin broadening.

"Don't think I won't," he stated, taking a generous swig of from his wine glass.

She bit her lip coyly, loving how jealous he had become. Feeling sexy, she sat up straighter, showing off her breasts to him.

"You like what you see?" she asked in a raspy voice.

"I always have," he replied, his bright blue eyes glittering at her.

"…You want to get dinner to go?" she suggested, feeling her own arousal stir within her.

"Thought you said I could wait a few hours," he reminded her, taking her hand in his across the table top.

She glanced down at his hand as he started to stroke her soft skin. He made small, slow circles on the top of her hand with the pad of his thumb.

She gazed up at him, her breath catching at the intensity of his eyes.

Because she suddenly understood that he wanted his thumb to be somewhere else, making the slow, small circles. Somewhere softer, more delicate.

More intimate.

Her clit tingled at the thought of House hand finding its way up her skirt and underneath her lace panties, making the same, excruciatingly slow circles on her already aching nub.

Her breathing shallowed.

"You're doing this on purpose," she told him, her heart hammering in her ears, wetness pooling in her panties, her nipples hardening through the fabric of her blouse.

"Of course I am," he replied in a low tone, continuing the excruciatingly slow circles on the top of her hand, the front of his pants becoming tighter at the sight of her nipples react to him.

Her libido now in overdrive, she swallowed, trying to keep her composure in the restaurant, fighting the urge to jump him right across the table.

"I'm assuming you have a logical reason behind teasing me like this," she said as coolly as she could.

"You're three weeks into your second trimester, which means your libido is most likely heightened. But you're a _woman_, which means you still have some level of self- control. Unlike myself, a man, who is a horny bastard 24- 7," he said simply.

She chuckled slightly, still amazed at his uncanny ability to read her and a situation so well.

"… So…" she asked.

"By the end of the night, you'll be all over me," he said.

Cuddy slipped her foot out of her stiletto heel and inched her toes up underneath the cuff of his slacks, caressing his ankle.

"Maybe even before…" she said.

* * *

"She's lying," Chase stated.

At the same time Cuddy and House were having eye and foot sex in Tre Piani, Chase and Foreman were sitting at the counter at a local bar, eating burgers and drinking beer.

"Then _TALK_ to her," Foreman told him.

"I can't do that," Chase muttered, bouncing his knee underneath the bar top.

"Of course not. She's only going to be your _wife_," Foreman said with heavy sarcasm before taking a bite of his burger.

"She quit school for me. She's obviously not gonna admit to me that she's regretting her decision," Chase explained in annoyance.

"Maybe she's _NOT_ regretting her decision. Maybe _YOU'RE_ regretting her decision," Foreman said in between bites.

He glared at Foreman for a moment before staring down at the bar top, saying nothing for a few moments. Foreman snuck a glance at Chase and continued to eat, knowing that Chase wasn't going to stay quiet for long.

"It's just not realistic for her to go back to school," Chase argued, breaking the silence between them. "She's not gonna be able to continue to residency and take care of an infant."

"So hire a nanny," Foreman said with an unconcerned shrug.

At this, Chase shot him an incredulous look.

"You think it's that easy?!" he demanded.

"Yes," Foreman replied simply.

"But what I think is _NOT_ easy is admitting that you were wrong," he added.

Chase snorted and turned back to his untouched food, his appetite disappearing.

"Well I'm not gonna bring it up. If she's having second thoughts about it or if she's upset, she'll say something to me," Chase decided.

Foreman rolled his eyes.

"Brilliant," he snarked.

* * *

As Sophie came out of one of the fitting rooms of Exquisite Bridal Boutique with Marie, her bridal consultant in tow, Susan gasped upon seeing her daughter.

"_Oh my goodness…_" Susan whispered.

Marie beamed at her reaction. "It's perfect," she said.

"Honey, you're absolutely beautiful!!" Susan exclaimed.

Sophie smiled at her mother and headed over to the three- way mirror to see herself in her newly altered dress.

At first, when Marie had shown her the changes she had made to accommodate her pregnant figure, she had doubts. The entire form fitting bodice of the dress had been changed to loose, flowing chiffon.

But as she gazed at her reflection, she gasped exactly as her mother had, completely overwhelmed at how gorgeous the dress actually was.

The gathered sweetheart top framed her ample breasts perfectly. Silver brocade straps that met at the center at the top of the bodice crossed her collarbones and her shoulders diagonally, adding an elegant, regal look. Wispy and layered flowing chiffon cascaded down to the floor, outlining her curves and her belly in a feminine, almost innocent way.

"Just wait until Robbie sees you in this," Susan gushed.

At the mention of Chase's name, a wave of anxiety went through her, the memory of their earlier conversation flashing in her mind.

"You should definitely wear your hair down," Susan told her.

"But if she wears it down, you won't see the detailing on the back," Marie said as she gathered Sophie's long wavy hair and swept it up to show her mother.

"Oh but her fiancée loves her hair down," Susan pointed out.

"Well we have some lovely headpieces and veils," Marie suggested. "What about a half up- do?"

"I don't think she wants to cover her face. Right honey?" Susan asked her daughter.

Sophie was so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard any of Marie and her mother's conversation. She turned to her mother, suddenly realizing that she had asked her a question.

"Hmmm?" she asked, still unsure of what her mother had said.

"You don't want to wear a veil, right?" Susan asked.

"Oh… right," Sophie replied with a nod.

"Maybe just a flower or a pretty comb…" Susan said, pulling back one side of Sophie's hair to see what it would look like away from her face.

But Sophie wasn't paying attention.

She was too distracted, thinking how she had hidden her true feelings from Chase when they were in House's office.

And how she was too scared to admit to him that she wanted to go back to med school.

TBC…

**TO SEE SOPHIE'S WEDDING DRESS, CLICK ON THE LAST LINK IN MY PROFILE. :)**

**(IF THE LINK DOESN'T WORK, PLEASE LET ME KNOW)**


	21. Chapter 21

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS!**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER...**

**... AND WHAT SOME OF YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR... ;)**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 21: Please read and comment.**

After her dress fitting, Sophie and Susan went to a diner near the bridal boutique for dinner.

But while Susan was perusing over her wedding to- do list in her leather- bound planner in between bites of her Cobb salad, Sophie had barely touched the bagel and cream cheese she had ordered, her mind swirling with conflicting thoughts and emotions.

"Ok, so we have the place, the band, the flowers, your dress, almost all of the response cards have come back, the photographer, the video—" Susan rattled off.

"The video's a waste. We're never gonna watch it," Sophie mumbled.

"You don't know that," Susan replied, still focusing on her planner as she continued to check items off the list she had made.

"Yes I do. Nobody watches their wedding video," Sophie said.

"Years from now, you'll be glad that you have it," Susan told her.

"How do you know what I'm gonna feel like years from now?!" Sophie snapped.

At this, Susan looked up from the list with an arched eyebrow at Sophie, surprised at how her tone had changed. Sophie avoided her mother's stare and stirred her orange juice absentmindedly with her straw.

Noticing that Sophie had hardly eaten anything, Susan closed the planner.

"What's wrong?" she asked, knowing full well that Sophie was displacing her anger.

Sophie shrugged, not replying, continuing to play with her straw. Susan waited patiently, knowing that her daughter couldn't stay quiet for long.

"…I feel like I made a huge mistake by quitting school," Sophie admitted.

"Well you didn't," Susan told her.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Mom, I gave up my whole career—"

"For a _FAMILY_. Something you thought you were never going to have," Susan reminded her pointedly.

"I know that," Sophie said. "I'm not saying—"

"Sophie, once the baby comes, your entire life is going to change. You're not going to have time or energy to finish a medical degree let alone complete a residency," Susan interrupted her.

"… People hire nannies—" Sophie mumbled.

"You really want a _stranger_ bonding and taking care of your baby? You want to get a phone call in the middle of Rounds that the baby's sick or that something's wrong and you know that there's _nothing_ you can do about it?!" Susan asked harshly.

Stunned at her mother's question and demeanor, she faltered for a moment.

"… N-no, of course not—" Sophie stammered.

"Then get your head out of the damn clouds and _wake up_! Your wedding is in two weeks and you're having a baby that you can't just pass off on someone else to take care of!" Susan told her flatly.

Sophie flinched, feeling as if her mother had just slapped her in the face.

"…I didn't mean—" she began.

"And eat something. You already passed out and dehydrated once," Susan added before turning her back to her list.

* * *

It didn't take long for Cuddy to give into her raging libido once she and House returned home from dinner at _Tre Piani_.

She pulled House through their doorway, grabbing the collar of his button down with both hands as he somehow managed to shut the door behind him with his foot.

They kissed frantically, moaning against each other's mouths, holding each other as closely as they could.

As they kissed, she immediately began to deftly work the buttons on his shirt, yanking it down off his arms. Their lips parted for only a moment as he roughly ripped her white maternity blouse open, exposing her gorgeous cleavage to him, not caring in the slightest that the buttons flew off the blouse in various parts of the foyer.

Her breath was ragged against his mouth, her arousal surging even more at House's urgency for her. He flung her blouse off onto the floor, pulling her as close against him as he possibly could.

House reached behind her back and deftly unhooked her bra with a flick of his thumb and index finger, causing her to gasp in delight.

He roughly pulled it down, revealing her incredibly voluptuous breasts, her darkened nipples a delicious offering to him.

"_Oh god_…" he moaned at the sight of her.

Leaving her bra still loosely hanging on her arms, he grabbed her right breast, taking her erect, pouty nipple greedily into his mouth. She squealed in delight as he suckled vigorously, fluttering his tongue against her peak.

He then backed her up against the door, gripping her ass possessively over her tight skirt.

"_Ohh_!" she cried out.

"_Mine_," he said in a gutteral tone against her neck.

Cuddy gasped for breath, her clit squeezing between her legs. "_Yes_…"

He hiked up her skirt part- way, skating his palms over the sides of her creamy, supple thighs, his fingertips brushing against the lace band of her thong panties.

She quickly unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, shoving them down his legs, his erection springing free as she did so.

Without another word, he spun her around forcefully so she was facing the door and hiked up her skirt the rest of the way around her waist from behind her.

As a reflex, she slapped her hands against the door with a gasp, shocked but thrilled at the same time at the position he wanted her in and how forceful he was.

She whimpered as she felt him slip his fingers into the front of her panties, which were already damp.

"You're already wet for me?" he breathed against her ear, holding her tightly around her hip with his other hand, thrusting his erection against her ass as he pressed the front of his body against her back from behind her.

She panted, nodding, unable to speak, wanting him so badly she could taste it.

He started rubbing her clit with his fingertips. Her forehead flush against the door, Cuddy gripped onto the doorknob, thrusting her ass back against his erection, sexy little cries escaping her lips as he brought her closer and closer to the brink.

Suddenly, she felt House knee her legs apart from behind her and his hand leave her hip. She moaned in protest at the absence of his touch.

But as he roughly guided himself into her from behind, she cried out. His length filled her completely, tightly.

He grabbed both of her hips, thrusting into her over and over again. She bent over slightly, gripping onto the doorknob for dear life, her breasts, free from the confines of her bra, jiggling each time he pushed into her. They moaned together with every thrust, House holding onto her hips desperately as their lust and passion grew for each other.

She tossed her hair over her shoulders, biting her lip hard, turning her head back towards him, closing her eyes at the extreme pleasure he was giving her, her entire body on sensory overload.

At the sight of her like this, he exploded into her, groaning loudly as he doubled over her body, shuddering with the force of his orgasm.

Still on the edge, she pushed back against him more forcefully, getting delicious friction where she needed it most.

She barely made a sound as she finally tipped over, her face flushed, her legs almost collapsing underneath her.

Feeling her start to become weak, he somehow managed to hold her up, the two of them gulping for air in shallow, heavy breaths.

As they slowly began relax, she leaned heavily against the door, still breathing hard.

"… You ok?" House asked her in a gutteral tone as he recovered.

"Mhmm…" she breathed, her eyes closed, her temple leaning against the door.

After a few moments, she slowly turned around, pressing her back against the door and exhaling deeply, an incredibly satiated smile on her face.

House held her around her waist as she stood there, burying his face in her hair and letting out a huge breath of his own.

"Are _YOU_ ok?" she asked teasingly.

"Never better," he assured her.

"How are you gonna run after a kid if you can't keep up with me?" she joked.

House turned around and leaned up against the door next to her, gazing at her with heavily lidded eyes.

"I have no idea," he admitted.

She laughed out loud, taking his hand.

"C'mon," she told him. "I'm not done with you yet."

* * *

After leading House back to their bedroom and shedding the rest of their clothing, Cuddy straddled House with ease, lowering herself onto his erection, which had somehow made a quick comeback.

His cock throbbed inside her as his eyes traced over her full breasts and belly. Holding her hips as they made love, Cuddy arched back with each of his slow, deep thrusts up inside her, her chest rising and falling as the most wonderful feelings surged throughout her body.

Her face flushed, her long beautiful lashes grazing the tops of her cheekbones, House couldn't take his eyes off her.

She was absolutely breathtaking.

Her curvy body exposed as an offering to him, he reached up and warmed her breasts, skating his thumbs over her nipples.

He reveled in the feel of her toned, shapely thighs against him, the feel of his body underneath her.

How tight she felt around him.

Cuddy leaned over and held onto their headboard for support, rolling her hips against him. Her skin, flushed and glistening with a thin film of sweat, House sat up from his prone position and sucked delicately on her neck, loving her sweet, salty taste.

They both drew in a breath, their eyes locked on each other, their lips parting simultaneously as her velvety walls contracted against his cock once again.

He watched her intently as the waves of pleasure crashed over her, her breath caught in her throat.

He released again inside her, his entire body tensing up at the force of his orgasm, and then all of his energy disappeared. She let out a long, lingering breath as she came down, lowering her body onto to the bed next to him, draping her arm over his chest.

As House caught his breath for the second time that night, he lazily pulled her close to him.

"…So was it worth the wait?" she asked in a low alto.

"If I say no, can we do it again?" he asked back, his voice hopeful yet rough around the edges.

"No," she stated, closing her eyes.

He chuckled a bit before falling asleep next to her a few moments later.

* * *

The next morning, House strode down the hallway that led to his office with a noticeable spring in his step, due to his sexcapades with Cuddy last night.

Through the glass, he spotted Sophie sitting at his desk in his private office, her head down as she sifted through paperwork. He also saw Foreman and Thirteen waiting for him in his conference room, having their morning coffee and reading the paper.

But he had no intention of entering his office at the moment.

Bypassing both windows, he continued to head down the hallway to Wilson's office and opened the door without knocking.

Used to House's intrusions, Wilson didn't even bother to glance up from his paperwork as House stood in front of his desk.

"I had sex last night," House announced in a grandiose fashion.

"Good- morning to you, too," Wilson mumbled.

"See, that's what friends do. They tell each other interesting anecdotes about their personal lives," House said.

"I'm surprised you're not telling the entire hospital about this interesting anecdote," Wilson commented as House took a seat on Wilson's couch.

"It's early. I'm pacing myself," House informed him, earning a derisive snort from Wilson.

"Unlike _you_, who is keeping his interesting anecdotes a _secret_," House added.

"I have nothing interesting nor anecdotal to tell you about my sex life," Wilson said.

"Not surprising since your girlfriend got _fired_ yesterday," House retorted.

At this, Wilson sighed in annoyance, tossing his pen on the desk.

"Why didn't you say anything?" House asked.

"Yes, because it's usually my _first_ priority to come to you when I'm having a crisis," Wilson said, his voice laden with sarcasm.

"It actually is," House pointed out.

Wilson raked both his hands through the front of his hair and wound them around the back of his neck, leaning back on his chair, while House waited patiently for him to spill his guts.

"Ingrid wants me to ask Cuddy for her job back," Wilson confessed.

House nodded once. "And since you haven't done that yet…"

"I can't," Wilson interrupted him in defeat.

"Why not?" House asked, furrowing his brow.

"Because it's my fault she got fired. I'm in no position to ask for anything," Wilson explained.

"Since when does _that_ matter? I demand things all the time and I'm never in a position to ask for _anything_," House said.

"Yeah, well, I'm not a world famous diagnostician nor am I sleeping with the boss," Wilson replied in disgust, trying to focus back on his paperwork with little success.

"But you _ARE_ usually willing to sacrifice yourself and make yourself look stupid to help others," House said. "Why is this different?"

"Maybe I don't want to look stupid anymore," Wilson said softly, refusing to meet House's penetrating stare.

"_You're too proud to help her?!_" House asked, truly surprised.

"Do have any idea how humiliating it is that I had no idea that I was engaged to be married to a sociopath who completely ruined my life?!" Wilson demanded angrily.

House thought about that for a moment.

"No, not really," he admitted with a shrug.

Wilson glared at him furiously, refusing to respond to House's insensitivity.

House tsked. "She fooled all of us. You're not special," House pointed out.

"Why doesn't that comfort me?" Wilson asked.

House lifted his eyebrows ever so slightly, feeling like he was missing a piece of the puzzle.

"Where's Ingrid now?" House asked.

"She has an interview today at Princeton General. Cuddy set it up," Wilson replied.

"Did you give her a reference?"

"Why should I? Cuddy's a better reference than I am."

And all of a sudden, everything made sense.

"You're _lying_," House stated. "You're not worried about being humiliated."

At this, Wilson said nothing, shifting around the papers on his desk.

"But what I can't figure out is what you _ARE_ worried about," House added.

"Believe what you want to believe," Wilson said flatly.

Determined to get to the bottom of this, House left Wilson's office without another word, a plan forming in his mind.

But if his plan was going to work, he needed help.

TBC…


	22. Chapter 22

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM.**

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**CHAPTER 22: Please read and comment.**

"Where's Ingrid now?" House asked Wilson.

"She has an interview today at Princeton General. Cuddy set it up," Wilson replied.

"Did you give her a reference?"

"Why should I? Cuddy's a better reference than I am."

And all of a sudden, everything made sense to House.

"You're _lying_," House stated. "You're not worried about being humiliated."

At this, Wilson said nothing, shifting around the papers on his desk.

"But what I can't figure out is what you _ARE_ worried about," House added.

"Believe what you want to believe," Wilson said flatly.

Determined to get to the bottom of this, House left Wilson's office without another word, a plan forming in his mind.

But if his plan was going to work, he needed help.

* * *

A few minutes later, House strode into his private office, where Sophie was still working at his desk.

"Your brother just lied to me," House stated.

"You'd better update your Facebook status," Sophie snarked without missing a beat, not bothering to look up from the pile of lapsed insurance paperwork in front of her.

"I need you to find out why," House told her.

At this, she looked up at House and stared at him for a moment.

And then she laughed in his face.

"If Jimmy lied to you, I'm sure he has a good reason," she said, turning her attention back to the pile.

House kept a curious gaze on her, sat down at one of the empty seats in front of his desk and started to toss his red and grey tennis ball up in the air over and over again.

"Did he tell you that Ingrid got fired?" House asked, focusing on his ball.

"…_No_…" Sophie admitted, looking up from her paperwork once again, truly surprised.

"He didn't tell _you_… he didn't tell _me_…" House said, still playing with the ball.

"And he's not helping her look for another job and he won't tell me the real reason why," he continued.

"But… if she doesn't get another job she might have to go back to Brazil…" Sophie said, her brow furrowed in confusion as to why her brother wouldn't help his own girlfriend.

At this, House caught the ball, pulling it close to his chest, turning his attention back to her, his eyebrows raised just a bit.

She arched her own brow, well aware how eager House was to solve this puzzle.

"I'll talk to him if you tell me the truth about something," Sophie offered.

"_You're having a boy_," House stated flatly.

For a second, Sophie was completely caught off guard, her breath catching in her throat as House kept his bright, calm blue eyes on her.

But then she mentally shrugged off his statement as him merely wanting a shocked reaction out of everyone he came in contact with and focused back on her own question.

"Do you really think my medical opinion is meaningless?" she asked him.

"No," he said, keeping his eyes locked on her.

"You want to finish your degree," he surmised.

"Yes," she said.

"And you think that Chase won't support you."

"I _know_ he won't," she said simply.

At that moment, Sophie darted a glance over House's shoulder and saw Chase through the glass, walking straight towards House's office. She straightened her posture a little and turned back to her paperwork.

House narrowed his eyes, immediately noticing Sophie's shift in her body language, looked over his shoulder, smirking when he saw Chase.

"Need a consult," Chase announced as he entered House's office, holding a file folder.

"Kinda busy right now. We're planning your bachelor party," House lied.

Chase raised his eyebrows in interest, wondering what House's twisted brain had come up with and what activities Sophie would actually allow him to participate in.

"Uh…" was all Chase said.

"House thought you and the guys might like a VIP weekend at the Borgata. What do you think, honey?" Sophie asked sweetly, immediately playing along with House's lie.

"… Sounds… good??" Chase answered cautiously, not wanting to push his luck that Sophie actually knew what a VIP Bachelor Party weekend in Atlantic City entailed.

"Great. I'll set it up," House said.

Chase nodded and turned to leave the office, completely forgetting about his current patient, distracted by the thought of a boys' weekend with cards, alcohol and half- naked women.

"Didn't you need a consult?" Sophie reminded him, winking at House, causing one side of his mouth to turn up in a half- smile.

"…Yeah. Eight week old female with high fever, enlarged lymph nodes, irritability, refusal to feed and right side facial deviation," Chase said as he went back into the office, remembering why he had come down to House in the first place.

"How long has she had the fever?" House said, getting up from his chair to look at the file.

"Two weeks," Chase said, worry evident in his voice.

Sophie stared at him in shock while House's expression demanded an explanation.

"She's been receiving oral and intravenous ceftriaxone at Princeton General, but it's not helping," Chase explained. "The parents transferred the baby here this morning. We've got her on broad spectrum antibiotics—"

"Are they _magic_ antibiotics? Because they didn't work the first time," House stated nastily.

"P.G. already ruled out meningitis, swine flu, measles _AND_ mumps. With a fever that high, it has to be bacterial. We figured broad spectrum—" Chase began.

"Are her lips red?" House interrupted him.

"Of course they're red. She's got a fever," Chase retorted.

"How about her sclera?" House asked.

"…A little red…" Chase admitted.

"What am I thinking, Wilson?" House asked Sophie, already knowing the diagnosis of the infant.

Sophie thought for a moment, entertaining several possible answers in her mind.

But then the diagnosis hit her like a truck.

"Kawasaki Disease," she stated, her voice full of realization.

"No rash," Chase said.

"Might be hard to tell because of the fever," Sophie pointed out.

Chase considered that for a moment, turning down his lower lip. "Makes sense. If she's red all over, we could miss a generalized rash."

"Sounds good to me," House said.

Chase nodded, turning to leave once more.

"Take Sophie with you," House ordered Chase before he could reach the door.

Both Chase and Sophie raised their eyebrows at House's suggestion.

"How cool would it be if she was right?" House asked Chase, his eyes sparkling at the thought.

* * *

A few minutes later, Chase, Sophie and Kate Sloan, the nurse who assisted Chase in the NICU, were standing over their eight- week old female patient, who had two IVs in her and was sleeping for the moment.

Sophie glanced out the large window of the NICU and saw the parents of the infant nervously staring at their child through the glass, powerless to help her.

"It's not Kawasaki's," Kate declared flatly, her resentment of Sophie's presence evident in her voice.

"Why not?" Sophie asked, undeterred by her obvious hostility towards her.

"Because Kawasaki's is extremely _rare_," Kate explained pedantically.

"So that means it's impossible?" Sophie demanded.

A tiny laugh escaped Kate's throat.

"I know that because you've been interning with House that you think everything's a zebra, but _trust_ me when I tell you that ninety- nine times out of a hundred, it's not," she said in a condescending manner.

Chase remained quiet, waiting for Sophie's response.

"The symptoms fit. Persistent high fever, swollen lymph nodes, red lips and eyes—" Sophie repeated.

"Except there's no rash," Kate pointed out slowly.

Knowing she was missing something, Sophie critically examined the infant a second time, gently lifted up the baby's arms and chin to check for a rash, but there was nothing.

"She's wasting time," Kate told Chase angrily as Sophie continued to examine the baby. "We should test for viral or fungal infections—"

"Did you check her diaper area?" Sophie said, looking between the baby's legs after opening the baby's disposable diaper.

Chase narrowed his eyes and immediately saw a red, angry rash on the baby's skin folds.

"Let's get blood work and a sonogram of the heart," Chase ordered Kate. "And give her IVIG and aspirin."

"_ASPIRIN_?!" Kate exclaimed.

"If it is Kawasaki's, aspirin in combination with the IVIG will decrease the inflammation, lower the fever—" Chase began.

"_Aspirin can cause Reye's Syndrome!_" Kate said, incredulous.

"Aspirin will also prevent her coronary arteries from being blocked. Now carry out my orders," Chase said sternly.

"…Yes, doctor," Kate mumbled, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

As Chase observed Kate administer the treatment he had ordered, Sophie silently left the NICU, not wanting to stay there a moment longer than she had to.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Sophie entered the cafeteria, feeling a sudden craving for frozen yogurt with chocolate chips.

After getting her treat, she saw Wilson sitting by himself at a booth, reading the paper.

Remembering that she owed House a favor, she grabbed two plastic spoons, crossed the room and sat down across from him at the table.

"Want some?" she asked him.

He looked up from the paper and smiled.

"Heard you caught Kawasaki's today," he commented, taking a spoonful of the frozen dessert.

"House told you, huh?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Chase did."

Genuinely surprised, she found that she had no response.

"The way he was going on and on about it, I think he was actually proud of you," he quipped, a smile forming on his boyish face.

Her entire face lit up immediately at her brother's words.

But as it did, her conversation with her mother the night before echoed in her mind and her smile faded. As a reflex, her hand moved to her stomach, feelings of guilt overshadowing everything.

"I want to go back to school and I feel guilty about wanting that," she blurted out.

"…Why do you feel guilty?" he asked.

"Because I'm not having a baby just so someone else can take care of it," she replied, taking a generous spoonful of her yogurt.

"That's mom talking," he tsked.

"But she's right about the fact that my entire life is going to change, and that I'm not going to have time or energy for school once the baby comes," she argued.

"Yes she is… but after a while, things are gonna change… and eventually you're going to want a career," he pointed out.

"And you should. For a lot of reasons," he added.

Sophie didn't respond to this, her conflicting thoughts and emotions wreaking havoc in her stomach. She shoved her spoon back in the yogurt, losing her appetite for the moment.

"What did mom say to you?" Wilson pressed.

"She said I'm not going to want a stranger bonding and taking care of my baby. And I _don't_," she said.

"_And_…" he probed further.

"That I'm not going to want to get a phone call while I'm at work that the baby's sick or that something's wrong and I know that I can't do anything about it," she added miserably.

Wilson smiled knowingly, putting his own plastic spoon back in the yogurt.

"Did mom ever tell you about the time Danny had pneumonia?" he asked her.

Sophie looked up from the yogurt, stunned that Wilson had mentioned their older brother's name.

She was eight when Danny had left home, and he never talked about him to her.

"...No," she said softly.

"He was two. Mom was a legal secretary for some hotshot lawyer in Manhattan at the time," Wilson said. "She hired a babysitter to take care of him during the day. And back then, women didn't go back to work after having a child."

Sophie nodded, listening intently.

"He'd had a cold for a week. Mom's boss had an important client meeting and she had to go into work or she'd get fired. So she went in," Wilson continued.

"And during the meeting, she got a phone call from the babysitter that Danny was running a temperature and was crying bitterly. Her boss told her that if she left, she'd get fired. So she told the babysitter to put Danny in a tepid bath and that she'd be home in a few hours…" he went on.

"… And when she got home, Danny was running a fever of 104," he said.

"She took him to the hospital and the ER doctor gave her a diagnosis of pneumonia, interrogated her like a criminal and accused her of neglecting her own child," he finished.

"Oh my god!" Sophie exclaimed. "That's awful!"

"The next day, she quit her job," he said.

"And she still blames herself," Sophie concluded.

"For that… and… everything else that happened to him... which is ridiculous," Wilson said.

But Sophie wasn't sure if she agreed.

"So House sent you on some fact- finding mission, I take it?" he said, snapping her out of her conflicting thoughts.

"Why would you assume that?" she asked lightly.

"Because I know _him_ and pregnant women don't share food," he replied, taking another generous spoonful of her yogurt.

She gave him a sheepish grin and took a spoon for herself, savoring the mixture of the chocolate yogurt and the chocolate chips mixed on her tongue.

"Why didn't you tell me that Ingrid got fired?" she asked.

"Because it was my fault," he replied.

"No it wasn't. It was Debbie's fault. She stole. You didn't," Sophie pointed out.

"It doesn't matter now. She got a job as a PT at Princeton General—"

"Which you didn't write her a recommendation for."

Wilson stared at her, deadpan.

"House, you look so different. No wonder why I didn't recognize you," he said sarcastically.

"He wants to know why you're lying about this and so do I," she said, refusing to let it go.

Knowing he couldn't lie to her, he exhaled deeply, leaning back in the booth.

"Because everything I touch turns to shit," he declared in disgust.

"That's not true," she said with a grimace.

"Cuddy made me acting Dean of Medicine and I caused dozens of people to lose their jobs because my ex embezzled fifteen million dollars right under my nose!" Wilson said. "Amber died—"

"_Amber dying wasn't your fault_," Sophie interrupted him firmly, not about to let him go down that road.

He exhaled through his nose, trying to keep his emotions in check.

"You think if you help Ingrid that something awful is going to happen to her," Sophie said, putting all the pieces together.

"…_Yes_," he whispered.

"Which is why I have to stay out of this," he added.

TBC…


	23. Chapter 23

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS!**

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**CHAPTER 23: Please read and comment.**

Cuddy was in her office, scrolling through the calendar on her Blackberry when she suddenly felt a tiny, but unmistakable sensation in her belly.

Her fingers froze instantly, every nerve ending on alert.

And then she felt it again.

She gasped aloud, an incredibly excited smile appearing on her face.

She tossed her Blackberry on her desk and placed her hand on her stomach on the exact spot she felt the sensation, waiting anxiously to see if she'd be lucky to feel it a third time.

And she did.

The feeling was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It was as if there was a butterfly fluttering around on the left side of her abdomen. She couldn't feel anything on the surface of her belly, but the sensation inside was unmistakable.

She was so entranced on what was going on in her stomach that she didn't even notice when House barged into her office at that moment.

"I'm bored," he announced as he walked in.

"Shh," Cuddy said, not bothering to look up at him, her hand still on her belly.

"No cases… both Wilson's aren't around—" he prattled on.

"_SHH!!_" she repeated sharply.

House stared at her curiously, suddenly becoming aware of the fact that she was occupied with something.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"C'mere," she said in a hushed whisper, beckoning him over to her desk with her right hand, her left hand still splayed out on her stomach.

House narrowed his eyes and limped over to the desk, still having no idea what was going on.

"I felt the baby move!" she told him gleefully.

He tsked. "It's probably just gas. You're only at 16 weeks—"

"I _felt_ it!" she insisted.

House opened his mouth, ready to shoot her down again and explain to her that medically, it was highly unlikely that she could feel quickening this early in the pregnancy.

But when he saw how her entire face was lit up and how her soft blue- grey eyes were sparkling in delight, he suppressed his natural instinct to negate her feelings.

"Gimme your hand," she told him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him over to her side of the desk.

He stumbled slightly as he made his way around the desk, pulling a chair around as he did so.

"Even if you _are_ feeling something, there's no way _I_ can feel it," he reminded her.

"Just gimme your hand," she repeated.

He rolled his eyes and sat down next to her, letting her guide his hand to the spot where she had felt the fluttering in her stomach.

House splayed his fingers out as far as he could over her belly, raising his eyebrows as Cuddy stared off into a random spot in her office once again becoming in tune with every sensation in her body.

And she gasped.

"There it is again!!" she exclaimed happily in a hushed tone. "It's right under your hand!"

House looked down at his hand as a reflex and then back up at Cuddy.

She was positively elated.

"You'll probably be able to feel it in a few weeks!" she said.

For a moment, he didn't reply.

Although she had made it this far in the pregnancy, House still didn't want to get his hopes up. His medical experience had taught him all too well that things could still go wrong at any point.

And the pessimist inside him only reinforced that fact.

But as he gazed at Cuddy, he realized that at this moment, this was the first time that she had ever been vocally optimistic about the pregnancy and that she was actually looking forward to the future.

So he shoved his negative thoughts aside.

"Probably," he agreed.

They sat next to each other for a few more moments, her hand on top of his, his hand still on her belly. She waited with great anticipation for another flutter.

But even though she didn't feel any more movement, she was still ecstatic. She exhaled deeply, her beautiful smile illuminating her entire face.

"That was the most amazing thing I've ever felt in my entire life," she confessed, her voice full of emotion.

She then leaned over and kissed him, her sweet, soft lips lingering on his, caressing the scruff on his face with all the love she felt for him.

"I can't wait for you to feel it too..." she whispered against his lips.

He pulled her onto his lap and deepened the kiss, his tongue caressing hers. She whimpered into his mouth, wrapping her arms about his neck.

"Lets make love," she murmured.

House's eyes popped open.

"_Here_?!" he asked, truly shocked.

"Tonight," she breathed in explanation. "I want to be close to you."

He murmured his assent, pulling her close to him once again, brushing his lips against hers, knowing that this was the perfect opportunity to get anything he wanted.

"Sophie and I are planning Chase's bachelor party…" House gruffly murmured against her mouth.

"Ok…" she said, still lost in the moment and the wonderful feeling of his lips on hers.

"…It's next weekend in Atlantic City…" he continued in a husky tone, cupping her breast over her blouse.

"Mmm…"

He smiled inwardly, mentally patting himself on the back for his great sense of timing.

* * *

Two hours later, Chase was in the NICU, his stethoscope in his ears, listening to the tiny heart of an eight- week old female who had been diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease.

The baby girl's parents stood by their daughter's bassinet anxiously, waiting for Chase to say something that would give them hope.

"Sounds great," Chase said.

The mother and father held their breath expectantly, not wanting to jump to any conclusions as they watched Chase listen to their baby's lungs.

"Good breath sounds," he commented, taking his stethoscope out of his ears and draping it around his shoulders.

He then reached for a Thermoscan ear thermometer and took the baby's temperature.

"Fever's down..." he continued. "And the facial swelling has gone down, too."

"Is she ok?" the mother asked nervously.

"She's gonna be fine," Chase reassured her with a confident smile.

"Oh thank _god_!" the mother breathed in great relief, hugging her husband, who held her tightly, his own smile matching his wife's.

From her position at the window outside the NICU, Sophie smiled and exhaled in relief as well.

"We'll keep her in the NICU for a couple more days to monitor her progress," Chase told the parents.

"Can I nurse her?" the mother asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not," Chase replied with a gentle smile.

Carefully, so as not to disturb the IVs still attached to her baby, the mother lifted her baby from the bassinet as her husband grabbed a nearby chair for his wife to sit on. He held the chair for her as she sat down, lifted her t- shirt, undid her nursing bra and positioned her baby on her breast. The baby began to nurse eagerly, her eyes wide and alert.

"She's starving," the mother said, happily.

"That's a good sign," Chase replied.

"Thank you, doctor," the father said gratefully.

Chase nodded, noticing Sophie standing outside the NICU by the window.

"Excuse me," Chase said to the parents politely before stepping outside to the ante- room of the NICU.

"How's she doing?" Sophie asked once the door closed behind Chase.

"Much better, thanks to you," Chase replied, smiling at her.

Sophie blushed with a mixture of embarrassment and pride, turning her attention away from Chase and back to the window, where the mother was still nursing her baby while Chase kept his gaze on her.

"You did really well," Chase told her. "And I don't just mean with the medicine."

A tiny laugh escaped her lips. "I knew you were a sucker for a cat fight," she joked.

"I'm serious. You stood up for yourself, your diagnosis, and your patient," Chase pointed out.

"You sound like you're actually proud of me," she teased lightly, knowing full well that he was. He nudged her with his elbow, making her giggle.

They silently watched the parents with their infant for the next few moments, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Sophie drew in a breath, ready to tell Chase about the conversation she had with her mother and what she had just found out about her brother, Danny.

"You know, we've got an excellent neonatology program here," Chase said, interrupting her before she could speak.

Her words stopped in her throat as she turned to him, stuned.

"Of course you'd have to finish school first… do your residency in pediatrics…" he continued, closing the distance between them and wrapping an arm about her waist.

"…and we'd have to find a great nanny…" he added with a sweet smile, pulling her closer to him.

She closed her eyes, grinning, as she pressed her forehead against his, exhaling the breath she had been holding in, incredibly relieved that Chase was supportive of her.

But after what she had found out about her mother and Danny, she wasn't even sure if continuing her medical degree and pursuing her career the right choice anymore.

"Robbie…" she began tentatively.

"You don't have to go back right away," he said, interrupting her again.

When she gazed at him curiously, he gave her a sheepish smile.

"Figured you'd want to spend time with the baby first," he told her.

"Jimmy spoke to you," she said knowingly.

"Yeah."

She grinned, actually happy for once that her brother couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"If you wanted… I could spring you from Diagnostics and you can get some Clinical experience with me down here for a semester," Chase suggested.

"I don't think Kate'll appreciate that," Sophie joked.

"Who cares? I'm the boss, remember?" he quipped.

"… You really think I'd make a good neonatologist?" she asked.

He nodded, his eyes glimmering, reaching up to touch her chin.

"Yeah, I do."

As his soft, pliant lips met hers and her eyes fluttered closed, any thoughts of how she was going to break the news to her mother that she was planning on continuing her medical career drifted away.

She succumbed to his tender kiss, reveling in the soft, gentle way he touched her face.

"House booked your bachelor party…" Sophie told him.

He laughed slightly. "Should we elope?"

"Nah. I helped," she said.

Chase arched his eyebrow curiously, wondering just what he was in store for next weekend.

"Trust me. You _won't_ be disappointed," she assured him.

TBC…


	24. Chapter 24

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I WILL RESPOND TO THEM ASAP.**

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* * *

**CHAPTER 24:**

**ONE WEEK LATER.**

It was around five pm on Saturday afternoon and Cuddy was sitting on her and House's bed, her eyes peering over her latest romance novel and watching House haphazardly toss another pair of dark jeans into a canvas overnight bag on top of a couple of graphic t- shirt he had packed.

"You're only taking two pairs of jeans?" she asked.

"I was actually only planning on taking _one_, but then I remembered we're going to a strip club. Might need to change afterwards," he quipped in his usual way.

She snorted. "You need a nice pair of pants," she told him, ignoring his crude remark.

"Why? Will the Queen be stopping by for a lap dance?" he asked.

"You're having dinner at Bobby Flay steakhouse tonight," she reminded him.

House gave her a withered look. "It's Chase's bachelor party. Not a fashion show," he said.

"The website said '_Proper Attire,_'" she argued.

He glared at her for a moment before reluctantly heading back to their walk- in closet and retrieving a pair of black pants, a button down shirt and a black blazer, throwing them all into his bag.

"If Chase is wearing jeans, then I'm changing," he declared.

"Fair enough," she said, a smile tugging at her lips.

"So what are you doing tonight? Naked pillow fight with the ladies?" House asked as he zipped up the bag.

"Ingrid and I are taking Sophie for dinner in Manhattan," Cuddy replied.

At this, House stopped mid- zip and looked back at her, his eyes narrowing.

"_Ingrid's_ coming," he clarified.

"Yes. That's what I just said," she retorted, focusing back on her book.

He kept an even gaze on her while she continued to read, a knowing smirk forming on his features.

"You feel _guilty_," House stated.

Cuddy slapped the book down on her lap, rolling her eyes skyward. "Oh god, here we go."

"You feel guilty that you had to fire her so you decided to include her in social activities to reinforce that firing her was nothing personal," House continued.

"It _wasn't_ personal. And I _don't_ feel guilty," Cuddy said adamantly.

He kept his eyes on her for a moment longer before turning back to his bag, zipping it up the rest of the way.

"If anyone should feel guilty, Wilson should feel guilty for not asking me for her job back," Cuddy muttered.

"Would you have given it to her?" House asked.

"No. But he should've asked anyway," she replied, turning the page in her book.

House paused for a moment, remembering what Sophie had told him after finding out the real reason why he hadn't fought for Ingrid to stay at the hospital or why he hadn't even given her a recommendation when she received a job opportunity as a physical therapist at Princeton General.

He also remembered that Sophie begged him not to say anything, because Wilson felt bad enough about the whole thing.

But since he had never let anything like that stop him before, he figured there was no reason for him to start now.

"Wilson feels that if he helps Ingrid in any way, he's going to screw things up and lose her," House told Cuddy.

Cuddy looked up from her book once again, her face scrunching up as she tried to find any reason or logic behind what House had just said.

"That doesn't make any sense," Cuddy finally said.

"Nope," House agreed.

"But I figure after a few scotches and a couple lap dances, he'll be able to explain it better," he added.

"I'm sure he will," she said, laughing slightly, settling back into her book.

But as he grabbed his bag and glanced at his watch, he felt an odd sensation tugging in his chest.

"…You gonna be ok here by yourself?" he asked her gruffly.

"I'll be fine," she said dismissively, still reading.

"Leave your cell on," he told her.

"I will," she assured him.

But House didn't move from his position standing by the bed. Cuddy looked up, realizing that he was staring at her.

She smiled and got off the bed, standing in front of him. She reached up and caressed his cheek.

"You're kinda cute when you care," she said.

"_Kinda_?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

She laughed as she put her arms about his neck, pulling him as close as she could to her, her rounded belly touching his stomach.

"You used to be closer," House observed, to which she nodded, as he wrapped his arms around her back.

He then moved both his hands down to her ass, giving it a generous squeeze.

"And your ass used to be firmer," he continued.

She raised both eyebrows, waiting for him to get a final snark in.

"It _is_ bigger, though," he pointed out.

"Do you _EVER_ want to have sex again?" she asked him, a teasing lilt in her voice.

"Well… I'm kinda busy tonight, but we could have a quickie before I go," he said, deadpan.

"I wasn't offering," she replied flatly, trying to keep a straight face, her eyes sparkling at him.

He dipped his head down to kiss her, his lips brushing against hers tenderly. She caressed the back of his neck, running her fingers through his closely cropped hair.

Reluctantly, they broke off their kiss, knowing that House had to pick up Chase and had an hour and a half drive ahead of him to Atlantic City, where they'd be meeting Foreman and Wilson at the Borgata hotel.

Losing himself in her soft grey- blue eyes, House suppressed his concern about leaving Cuddy alone for the weekend, especially since she was driving to Manhattan tonight.

He knew that medically, he had no reason to worry. Sobol had taken her off bed rest, he had cleared her to go back to work and she was feeling great.

But the emotional side of him that he had kept down for so long had been making more appearances lately.

"I might drunk dial you later. Just FYI," he suddenly said to her, pushing his worries aside.

She grinned, kissing him once more, knowing that his comment was a deflection for his true feelings.

"I'll look forward to it," she said.

* * *

At around the same time, Chase was zipping up his own suitcase in his and Sophie's bedroom while Sophie was rummaging through their closet, having already tried on and discarded five dresses, three skirts and three shirts onto the bed.

He couldn't help but smile just a little watching her searching through their closet, clad only in a bra and panties, her hair still wet and swept up in a bun, as she tried to find something to wear to her evening out with Cuddy and Ingrid.

"I'm not going," Sophie suddenly declared in disgust, tossing a sixth dress onto the floor.

Chase tsked. "Why not?"

"Because nothing fits me," she told him miserably.

Giving her a sympathetic smile, he bent down and picked up the black jersey dress that she had just tossed on the floor.

"What's wrong with this?" he asked.

"It's too tight," she muttered.

"Here. Put it on," he insisted, holding the dress out for her.

Reluctantly, she took the dress from him and stepped into it. She then turned around, so Chase could zip up the back of the dress for her.

After slightly struggling with the zipper for a moment, Chase managed to zip up the dress all the way. She then turned around, waiting for his opinion.

The above the knee length dress accented her legs and hugged and enhanced her curves, stretching tightly across her midsection, while the sleeveless style and deep v- neck showcased her more than ample breasts.

"You look great," he told her simply.

"I look _FAT_," she retorted.

"No you don't," he insisted.

She turned away from him to face their full- length antique mirror, her eyes immediately drawn to her huge breasts and belly. Although she was only at fifteen weeks, she was carrying completely in the front and the dress displayed her stomach much more than her regular clothes.

"And my breasts are practically spilling out of it," she said.

"And what's wrong with that?" he asked pointedly.

She exhaled. "Forget it," she mumbled in annoyance, going back into the closet to find something else to wear.

But Chase pulled gently on her arm, stopping her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, knowing all- too well that Sophie was most likely upset about something else and not the dress.

She avoided his gaze, shrugging her shoulder, not really having the desire to say what was really on her mind.

"It's your mum, isn't it," he said, to which she nodded.

"I don't know how I'm going to tell her that I'm going back to school in the fall without alienating her," she confessed.

"Well we're not gonna see her until the wedding, so you don't have to worry about it until then," he reminded her.

"There's _no way_ I'm bringing this up at our wedding," she stated.

"Well neither am I, so again, don't worry," he repeated.

"And besides, the girls are taking you out tonight. Forget about this and go have some fun," he added.

"…You really think I can wear this?" she asked, a bit unsure.

"Absolutely," he told her, leaning over and kissing her lips.

She managed a smile, trying to take his advice and forget about her mother for the evening.

But she knew that sooner or later, she'd have to tell her that she had re- registered for med school for the fall term.

"I'm just bummed that I'm not gonna be able to ogle you all night in that dress," Chase said in an attempt to cheer her up, knowing that she was still silently dwelling on her mother.

She chuckled, feeling her mood lift a little. "You'll have plenty to ogle tonight. Trust me," she assured him.

He laughed in response and picked up his suitcase, glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand as Sophie retrieved a pair of black peep toe heels from the closet.

"House should be here soon," he commented.

With that, Sophie headed over to her dresser, opened up her underwear drawer and retrieved a wad of cash rolled up in a rubber band.

"Here," she said, tossing it to Chase, who caught it deftly, despite the fact that he was rather caught off guard.

She watched him unwrap the rubber band and start to count the money, which was in denominations of fifties and twenties.

"There's two grand in that roll. Should be plenty," she said.

"…House said he got us a marker—" Chase began, confused.

"It's not for poker," she interrupted him.

He arched his eyebrow at her, extremely curious, too nervous to ask her if the money was for what he secretly hoped it was for.

She grinned at his unsure, almost shy expression, stepping closer to him.

"It's your last night to be a drunken, irresponsible bachelor before I tie you down next week," she began him, running her fingers through his short hair.

"Sophie, I'm not gonna do anything stupid—"

"And a few of my friends are very excited to meet you," she added, her voice taking on a slightly sexier tone.

At this, Chase's eyes widened even more.

"Your _friends?_" he clarified, wanting further explanation.

But his imagination was interrupted by the sudden sound of repetitive banging on their front door.

* * *

A few moments later, Chase opened the door to House, who was waiting impatiently on his front step.

"You ready?" House demanded.

"Yeah," Chase said. "Just gotta get shoes."

House nodded, stepping past him and entering their home, walking through the foyer.

But he stopped in mid stride when he saw Sophie in the bathroom, peering into the mirror as she put on a pair of large, thin gold hoop earrings.

"Nice," he stated sincerely, admiring her in her dress.

Sophie turned to House and smiled a little, knowing that a compliment was rare from him.

"Thanks," she said.

"How much cash you give Chase for the club tonight?" House asked her, stepping into the bathroom with her.

"Two G's," she replied as she continued to apply mascara.

"That for me, too? Lisa didn't give me any money," he said, trying to sound pathetic.

"There's cash machines in every hotel. Get your own," she reminded him, turning her body to face him square.

"I don't remember my PIN number," he said.

"Then get a cash advance on your credit card," she replied, somewhat enjoying the way he was baiting her.

"I was planning on keeping my testicles after this weekend," he informed her. "And I don't think that'll happen if Cuddy finds out about a cash advance."

"Then I guess you're just gonna have to win it at the tables," she replied with a sly smile.

House smirked just a little, enjoying the way she played his game right back at him.

Chase stood in the hallway, smiling as well, always entertained by the two of them, knowing that Sophie wasn't about to give in.

House looked back over his shoulder, suddenly aware that Chase was standing there.

"Who do we ask for again in the poker room? Andy?" House asked.

"_Alex_," Sophie corrected him.

"Right," he said nodding, turning around to leave the bathroom.

She followed House out of the bathroom, moving past him towards Chase to kiss him good- bye. She gave him a sweet, gentle brush of her lips.

"Have a good time, baby," she told him.

Chase cupped her face and kissed her once more, just as tenderly, wishing that House would give them a moment's privacy so he could kiss her the way her really wanted to.

But House remained in the foyer, staring at them, well aware that Chase was acting timid with her and that he was making them uncomfortable.

"No kiss for me?" he piped up.

After a moment, she broke off her kiss with Chase and turned to House, shooting him an annoyed glare.

She then stepped closer to him, her eyes intense, causing House to back up ever so slightly, wondering if she might actually kiss him just to shut him up.

"_No strawberries_," Sophie told House firmly.

* * *

A little over a half- hour later, Sophie heard the sound of a car horn beeping outside.

She looked out the window and saw Cuddy's car parked on her driveway, Cuddy in the driver's seat and Ingrid in the passenger seat.

She waved at them and headed to the living room to put her shoes back on and grab her clutch purse and keys from the couch.

After gathering her belongings, she headed towards her shoes, which were on the other side of the living room.

She stopped in her tracks when the phone rang from the kitchen.

For a moment, she considered going back into the kitchen to get the phone, but she then rationalized that if someone really needed to get in touch with her, they would call her on her cell phone.

Deciding to let their answering machine pick up the call, she slipped into her heels and headed to the door.

But she froze when she heard the voice on the machine:

**_"…Hi Robert…. it's Allison. Call me back when you get the chance."_**

TBC…


	25. Chapter 25

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING, ADDING THIS TO YOUR FAVORITES AND FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I RESPONDED TO ALL OF THEM.**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PARTY TIME!**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 25:** Please read and comment.

_**"…Hi Robert…. it's Allison. Call me back when you get the chance."**_

Sophie stood in the middle of the living room after hearing Cameron's voice on her and Chase's answering machine, having no idea what to do.

But she didn't have much time to think about it because the doorbell rang.

She answered the door, finding Remy Hadley on her front step, decked out in a deep purple silk tank, a black tight skirt and heels.

"…Hi!" Sophie said, rather surprised to see her.

"You ready?" Remy asked.

"I thought you couldn't make it tonight," Sophie reminded her.

"I changed my plans," Remy said with a smile.

Sophie smiled back, as she was genuinely happy to see her. But because she was still distracted by Cameron's phone call, she didn't say anything.

"You ok?" Remy asked, arching an eyebrow.

It only took her a second to decide that she didn't want to reveal to Remy that Cameron had called and that her seemingly innocuous message had jarred her so much.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Sophie lied quickly. "I'm just not sure about this dress," she added with a self- deprecating laugh as she gave herself a once- over for good measure.

"Are you kidding me? You look _fantastic_!" Remy told her. "Now come on."

As Remy grabbed her hand, pulling her out the door, Sophie suddenly realized that Remy's compliment about the way she looked in her dress seemed much more sincere than Chase's had.

* * *

It only took twenty minutes after arriving and checking in at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City for House, Chase, Wilson and Foreman to be trolling the packed casino floor, beers in hand. The casino was bustling with activity, the din of slot machines, dealers and players surrounding them.

Carrying an almost empty bottle of Heineken, Chase was turning his head every few minutes, losing count of how many beautiful and practically half- naked women there were around him.

"Looks like breasts are the new black," House snarked, honing in on a young blonde woman with a prominent set of D- cups leaning over one of the Craps tables to take her turn rolling the dice.

"He's right. They're everywhere," Foreman agreed, enjoying the view.

"Oh please. Half of these girls' breasts aren't even real…" Wilson said, trailing off as he turned around and craned his neck as a gorgeous brunette with more than ample cleavage passed him.

"Your neck hurt yet?" Foreman teased Chase, jabbing him with his elbow as Chase's head continued to whip around in both directions.

"Sophie said, and I quote, _'this is my last chance to be a drunken, irresponsible bachelor before she ties me down next week,'_" Chase said, sporting a shit- eating grin on his face, the beer already giving him a nice little buzz.

"Didn't know she was into that," Foreman quipped.

"Yuk yuk," Chase said sarcastically.

"Party's this way, boys," House said, making a sharp left.

Chase took another long, lingering glance at the scene before following House, deciding to make the most of his last weekend as a free man.

* * *

The four men followed House to the Borgata Poker Room, which was a large space roped off from the rest of the casino.

As they approached, a rather large, imposing man wearing a uniform and an ear-piece stood in front of the gap between two velvet ropes.

"Sorry. Room's full right now," the man said, holding up his hand.

"We're here Robert Chase's bachelor party," House told him.

Upon hearing this, the man backed up, allowing the four of them to enter.

"We were told to ask for Alex?" House told the man.

"All the way in the back," he replied, gesturing with his hand.

They made their way through the packed poker room, which was decidedly quieter than the action in the rest of the casino. Almost all the players were men and were thoroughly focused on their cards and those sitting at the tables with them.

They arrived at the only empty table out of eighty- five tables in the room, where a stunning African- American young woman was sitting, waiting for them. There was a placard marked "_RESERVED_" on the table top next to the recessed area holding the house chips.

"You Alex?" House asked her, admiring how the tight blouse of her uniform hugged her torso.

"Yep. You House?" she replied.

House narrowed his eyes. "Sophie tell you to look for an old guy with a cane?"

"Nope. She told me to look for a hot tall guy with gorgeous blue eyes and a cane," she said without missing a beat.

Chase's eyes widened a little at her boldness, wondering if indeed Sophie had described House in that manner.

House smirked as Foreman and Wilson exchanged amused glances.

"And you must be Robert," Alex said in a sultry, disarming tone, turning her attention to Chase.

"…I must be," he said, faltering for a moment.

"I'm James," Wilson piped up, not wanting to be left out.

She giggled at his enthusiasm. "And you?" she asked, turning to Foreman.

"Eric," Foreman said with a grin.

Alex gestured to the empty chairs, indicating for all of them to sit down, which they did. She stifled a laugh as Chase and Wilson almost stumbled over the plush, high- backed chairs because they couldn't take their eyes off her.

"Sophie told me a _lot_ about you," Alex said to Chase in a flirtatious manner.

"Did she now," Chase grinned, sneaking a peek at Alex's cleavage that was making an appearance through her unbuttoned blouse.

She nodded, matching his smile, flicking a piece of her long, pin straight hair away from her face.

"Ok. You're getting a _really_ good tip tonight," House told her.

She laughed as she quickly counted out three- hundred dollars in chips for each of them, placing their stacks in front of them.

"… How do you know Sophie?" Chase asked, not paying any attention to his stack, noticing that the air conditioning in the poker room was having a wonderful effect on Alex's nipples.

"We used to Round together in college," she replied.

"Really," Chase said, extremely interested, the image of Alex and Sophie hustling cards together making the front of his pants tighten just a little.

"She taught me everything I know," she added, knowing how she was affecting Chase.

"_Really_," Chase repeated.

"You sound like an _idiot_," House stated to Chase.

Foreman laughed out loud at House's remark, thoroughly enjoying how Chase was making a fool of himself.

"I could tell you some great stories if you're interested," Alex said, her sexy smile never leaving her face.

"I'm _very_ interested," Chase said, nodding eagerly.

"Oh _god_," Wilson groaned, cringing, trying to block out the scene in front of him and the images that were started to form in his mind.

"Now _James_, let's not be rude," House chided him sarcastically. "Alex wants to regale us with stories from her college days."

"Are you gentlemen ready for drinks?" a lilting voice said from behind them.

House, Chase, Foreman and Wilson turned around to see two almost identical busty blondes standing behind them, wearing black skimpy cocktail waitress uniforms.

"Why don't you go play Roulette or something?" House told Wilson, knowing that at the moment, Wilson had no intention of leaving the table.

"… No… I… think I'm fine here..." Wilson stammered, nodding his head slowly, unable to look away from the waitresses.

"The blinds start at 20- 40, gentlemen. Sami and Penelope are your private waitresses for the evening and will get you whatever you want," Alex stated.

While Wilson continued to stare open mouthed at the smiling, perky blonde waitresses, House, Chase and Foreman turned back to Alex.

"Welcome to the Borgata," she said with a smile.

* * *

Sophie, Cuddy, Ingrid and Remy were sitting at an outside table at _Citrus_ in Manhattan, a chic restaurant with Latin and Asian fare, sharing plates of various exotic appetizers.

"Time for presents!" Ingrid announced loudly, already into her second caipirinha for the evening, as she reached under the table and presented Sophie with a pink bag from Fredericks of Hollywood filled with pink tissue paper.

Sophie eyed the package skeptically for effect. "Should I be afraid to open this?" she teased.

"C'mon, show us already!" Remy demanded, taking another swig from her Amstel light.

Sophie grinned broadly as she dug into the shopping bag past the tissue paper, pulling out and holding up a lacy red garment that looked like a bra, but with the cups missing.

"Where's the rest of it?" Sophie asked, still grinning.

"It is a shelf bra," Ingrid explained. "Very sexy and it gives you great lift underneath."

Sophie's eyes caught the sight of another flash of red peeking out beneath the layers of tissue paper. She dug her hand into the package once more, pulling out another lacy, red scrap of clothing.

"The panties match," Ingrid said as Sophie examined the garment.

"Are these _crotchless_?!" Sophie exclaimed, causing the other patrons around her to snap their heads in her directions. She shrunk back a little once she realized how loud she had said that, causing Cuddy and Thirteen to laugh out loud.

"Of course!" Ingrid replied, as if the question was ludicrous. "Chase will _love_ them."

"Yeah, when I can fit into 'em," Sophie joked.

"Those will fit you," Ingrid assured her with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Open mine next," Cuddy said eagerly, reaching under the table and handing her a bag from Victoria's secret across the table.

"Ok…" Sophie said, taking the shopping bag.

Cuddy smiled in anticipation as she watched Sophie dig through the bag.

"Lisa… this is _gorgeous_," Sophie gasped as she took out the elegant silk and lace trim white baby doll nightie that Cuddy had bought for her.

"Figured you'd want something innocent for the wedding night," Cuddy deadpanned, pursing her lips together.

Sophie's jaw dropped. "He _TOLD_ you?!" Sophie demanded, her eyes bugging out a little.

Cuddy shrugged. "I asked Chase what he'd like to see you in," she said simply. "And there's more in there."

Sophie dug through the bag once more, finding a tiny pair of white string bikini panties and a white satin garter with a thin blue ribbon running through it, a blue bow affixed to one side.

"Now you don't need something blue," Cuddy said happily.

"My turn," Remy announced, taking a black shopping bag out from underneath the table and placing it on Sophie's lap.

Sophie untied the handles of the bag and peered inside for a moment.

But she said nothing and didn't make a move to take out the contents of the bag.

"So, what is it?!" Cuddy asked enthusiastically.

"… I… can't take this stuff out here," Sophie said, her cheeks turning pink.

"Oh gimme," Remy said in annoyance, snatching the bag from her lap.

Sophie screwed her eyes shut, leaned her elbow on the table and began to rub her forehead in embarrassment as Remy proceeded to empty the contents from the bag and place them on the table top.

"Massage oil… flavored condoms… edible body crème…edible underwear… _and_ a couple of fun toys," Remy listed rather loudly as she took out each item.

Both Cuddy and Ingrid grinned broadly as they began to pick up the various goodies that Remy had placed on the table.

"And no, I didn't ask Chase for help," Remy added just to make Sophie feel even more uncomfortable than she was already feeling.

"Mmm… Piña Colada," Ingrid commented as she read the tiny print on one of the flavored condoms.

But Cuddy's eyes were drawn to a pink and rather phallic shaped device.

"'_Seventh Heaven Platinum Rabbit Pearl?_'" Cuddy read off the item.

"It's a vibrator, isn't it," Sophie mumbled, still refusing to open her eyes.

"That's the best one they make," Remy stated defensively.

"It _is_ very good," Ingrid agreed.

At this, Sophie opened her eyes and all three women snapped their heads around to face Ingrid in surprise.

"What?" Ingrid asked, lifting her shoulders, not understanding their reaction.

Sophie laughed out loud, grabbing the Rabbit out of Cuddy's hand across the table, feeling much more relaxed about the whole thing.

"Hopefully I'm not gonna need this," Sophie said with a grin, gesturing with the vibrator as she spoke.

"You and Chase can _both_ have some fun with this," Remy reminded her.

"Thank you," Sophie drawled with a derisive snort as Ingrid and Remy gathered the other items on the table and helped to put them back in the black shopping bag.

"So what happened before you answered the door?" Remy asked knowingly.

Sophie shrugged. "Nothing."

"You actually thought I _believed_ you whining about your dress?" Remy asked her.

Seeing how Cuddy and Ingrid's interest were piqued as well, Sophie exhaled, knowing that she didn't have a choice but to tell them what had happened.

"Cameron called when you drove up," Sophie confessed.

Cuddy's eyebrows arched a little. "What did she say?"

"'_Hi Robert, it's Allison. Call me back when you get the chance,_" Sophie recited in a sing- song and irritated tone.

"You didn't pick up?" Remy asked her.

"I was on the way out already. I let the machine get it," she explained.

The three women remained silent to avoid saying anything that might upset Sophie. Not wanting to spoil the festive mood at the table, Sophie tsked.

"It's just a phone call. I don't know why I'm letting it bother me this much," she said, trying to downplay the whole thing.

"Because you _left_ Chase because of her and you got back together with him because he said he was _over_ her…" Remy began.

"…And you don't know if she was calling him… or calling him _BACK_," she continued.

Sophie nodded in reluctant agreement as she reached for another chile and lime shrimp quesadilla, stuffing it into her mouth, miserable at the possibility that Chase might have actually initiated conversation with Cameron after what they had been through.

"I would not worry about this," Ingrid declared confidently after giving the matter some thought.

"I agree," Cuddy said.

"Why not?" Sophie asked.

"Because she left the message on your _home_ phone. If she wanted her call to be a _secret_ she would've called his _cell_," Cuddy pointed out.

"And she would have said '_I am **returning** your call,'_ if Chase had called her first," Ingrid added.

"Now forget about Cameron and let's let Ingrid teach us how to use that Rabbit," Cuddy said in an attempt to prevent Sophie from dwelling on the phone call too much.

Sophie laughed out loud again, taking the vibrator out of the bag again, deciding to take Cuddy's advice for the time being.

* * *

"Take it," muttered Chase to House, folding his hand.

"You really suck at this when you're drunk," House commented, gathering the pile of chips he had just won off Chase.

"I suck at this when I'm sober, too," admitted.

Alex laughed. "You're not so bad. You just wear your tells, that's all," she said, gathering the cards.

"That's what Sophie tells me," he replied.

"What time is dinner?" Wilson asked.

Foreman glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes."

"Would you like to join us?" Chase asked Alex in a charming manner.

"That's all right. Spend some time with your boys," she replied sweetly.

"Would you like to join us later at the strip club?" House asked her.

She smiled. "I don't want to steal the show," she quipped.

House smiled at her, turning his attention to Wilson.

"So when are we gonna talk about how everything you touch turns to shit?" House demanded of Wilson with a pointed stare.

Wilson ignored him, deciding to count the remaining chips he had left in front of him while Chase and Foreman turned to him, their interest piqued.

"Everything you touch turns to shit?" Foreman repeated, exchanging a glance with Alex.

"I don't think this is the right time or place to have this discussion," Wilson said in irritation.

"Actually, I think this is the _PERFECT_ time and place to have this discussion," House retorted, refusing to let up.

Just then, Chase's cell phone rang in his pocket. He eyed the caller ID curiously as it read '_PRIVATE CALLER_.'

"Excuse me," Chase said, getting up from the table and stepping a few feet away from it to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"…Hi. It's Allison," Cameron's voice said on the other end after a concerted pause.

"… _Hi!_" Chase said after a moment, shocked to hear her voice on the other end.

"Are you busy?" she asked tentatively.

"Kind of. I'm at my bachelor party," he replied with a little laugh.

"Oh I'm sorry," she quickly said.

"Is… everything all right?" he asked, his mind racing as to why she would call him.

For a moment she said nothing, leaving Chase to wait for her answer.

"… Yeah," she finally said.

Not knowing how to reply, but pretty sure that everything wasn't all right with her, he remained silent, waiting for her to elaborate.

"I'm sorry. I called at a bad time—" she began.

"No, that's ok. Can I call you back tomorrow?" he asked.

"...Sure," she said.

"Ok, then…"

"Bye," she said.

"… Bye."

Chase closed his phone and shoved it back in his pocket, relieved that Sophie wasn't around, having no idea that she already knew that Cameron had called him.

TBC...


	26. Chapter 26

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I WILL RESPOND TO THEM ASAP!**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D**

* * *

**CHAPTER 26: Please read and comment.**

_"I'm sorry. I called at a bad time," Cameron said over the phone to Chase._

_"No, that's ok. Can I call you back tomorrow?" he asked her._

_"Sure," she replied._

_"Ok, then…"_

_"Bye," she said._

_"… Bye."_

* * *

Chase hung up with Cameron, still standing in the middle of the Borgata Poker Room, trying to make sense of the conversation he just had with her.

The tone of her voice had been vague, almost hesitant. She wasn't sad, but didn't seem to be overjoyed, either.

And because of that, he had no idea what she possibly wanted to talk to him about.

But there was an even more important question on his mind:

"_WHY IS SHE CALLING ME AFTER ALL THIS TIME?_" Chase asked himself.

As he slowly walked back to their table, his mind skipped back to Paris and Cameron's wedding day, the last time he had seen or spoken to her.

She had texted him right before the ceremony, telling him to come to the bridal suite.

When he walked in and saw Cameron in her wedding dress for the first time, he felt as if he'd been hit by a thunderbolt.

She was exquisite. His heart had practically leaped out of his chest.

And then she'd asked him to give her away.

He had limped down the aisle due to the pain in his ankle, her on his arm. He had handed her off to Sebastian Charles, who had been waiting for her, smiling from ear to her as they approached the altar.

Later, when Chase had watched Cameron dancing with her new husband during the reception, he couldn't take his eyes off her.

And when he had danced with her that evening, holding her in his arms, she had told him something that had rocked his world:

"_I WANTED YOU TO GIVE ME AWAY BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GET OVER ME ONCE AND FOR ALL_," she had told him.

By the time he had reached the poker table and took his seat next to House once again, he was practically boiling over with anger.

"You missed Penelope and her breasts," House told him, jutting his chin at the glass of scotch that one of their private waitresses had brought for him.

Chase tilted his head and threw the scotch back as if it were a shot, wincing as it burned his throat, slamming the glass back down on the table.

All eyes around Chase went up, confused and curious by his behavior.

"Who called?" House asked calmly, already having a feeling what the answer might be.

"Nobody," Chase muttered.

* * *

At around midnight, Chase, House, Foreman and Wilson were at _Bare Exposure_, a strip club a few blocks away from the Borgata.

At the moment, four beautiful women, two blonds and two brunettes, wearing only sparkly G- strings and stiletto heels were dancing for them to the pulsating rhythm of the music that was playing throughout the club.

One of the brunettes slowly sat down on Chase's lap facing away from him and wiggled her heart- shaped ass against his crotch. She then arched her back against him, displaying her perky, naked breasts for him to enjoy.

But he was only half- paying attention to her.

She whipped her long, wavy hair around, which hit him in the face, startling him for a second.

"Listen… Candy…" he said after a moment of struggling to remember the stripper's name. "I need to use the bathroom."

Candy got up in a huff, flicking her hair over her shoulder once again, not even bothering to look back as she sauntered over to another group of guys across the room, who welcomed her with loud cheers and whistles as she approached them.

"What the hell are you doing?!" House demanded of Chase above the din of the music, taking his attention away from the busty blonde for only a second who was currently gyrating on his lap. "She was supposed to come to me next."

Chase didn't bother answering him. He got up from his seat and walked out of the club.

Sitting on the other side of House, Wilson was clearly enjoying himself as he slipped a twenty into the G- string of the second blond who was shaking her ass for him, while Foreman was grinning from ear to ear as the other brunette placed her hand on his shoulder, leaning over for him to get an eyeful of her.

"Our bachelor just left his own party," House yelled at Wilson loud enough for him to ear over the music.

"What??" Wilson said, completely distracted by the two very large breasts in his face.

House sighed in great annoyance, reluctantly yet gently pushing the dancer off his lap. She flashed him a brilliant smile, tilting her head coyly, waiting for him to take out his wallet.

"Put it on my tab," he told her before heading for the exit.

* * *

Once House exited the strip club, the warm night air engulfing his senses, he didn't have to look far for Chase.

He was pacing back and forth in front of the club, his hand on the back of his neck.

House immediately noticed that Chase was favoring his right leg over his left.

"Ankle acting up?" House asked.

Chase glared at him, not answering, continuing to pace and rub the back of his neck in aggravation.

"You know, Wilson usually tells me that when my leg hurts worse than it normally does, it's most likely because of _emotional_ pain instead of physical pain," House commented.

"Wilson's an idiot," Chase muttered.

"I couldn't agree more," House said.

Chase snorted out a laugh and continued to pace as House kept a concerted gaze on him.

"So what did Cameron want?" House asked.

Chase stopped in mid- pace, staring at House in utter shock.

"How'd you know it was Cameron?" Chase asked.

"Sophie helped me plan this bachelor party, and she's too smart to call you in the middle of it. Anyone else wouldn't anger you so much," House reasoned.

"So by your logic, Sophie and Cameron are the only two people who can make me angry?" Chase demanded with an edge to his voice.

"Except for me, yes."

"Ok. Then why am I so angry?" Chase asked bluntly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Because it was only a few months ago that Cameron made you give her away at her wedding and told you that you need to get over her," House replied calmly.

"You're damn right!!" Chase yelled irately. "How does she have the nerve to call me like nothing happened—"

"And the only reason you're this angry is because _you still have feelings for her_," House interrupted him.

House's words hit Chase like a truck.

He just stood there in the middle of the sidewalk, frozen, his throat tightening.

"If you didn't care about her anymore, you wouldn't get this emotional," House said.

Completely forlorn, Chase slowly sank down to the sidewalk and sat on the curb, leaning his head heavily into his hands.

House just looked down at him, waiting for Chase to spill his guts. Chase lifted his head ever so slightly, shaking his head as a disgusted half- smile appeared on his face.

"I'm getting married in a week. To the most amazing, beautiful woman I've ever met," Chase began in a resigned tone.

"… And when I heard Cameron's voice on the other end… my heart and my stomach went right up into my throat," he admitted, his smile fading.

"I told you not to eat those hot wings at the bar," House said, unable to resist his natural instinct to get a jibe in.

But Chase didn't react.

He just leaned his chin and mouth against his hand, wishing he could just disappear.

"The only reason Sophie came back to you was because you told her you were over Cameron," House said.

Chase nodded, his heart aching tremendously as House kept an even gaze on him.

"I have to tell her," Chase whispered.

"Do you love Sophie?" House asked.

"Yes," Chase whispered, without hesitation.

"Do you want to _marry_ her next week?"

"Yes," Chase repeated more insistently.

"Then _don't tell her anything_," House told him.

"I can't lie to her. I _WON'T_ lie to her," Chase stated vehemently, looking up at House from his position on the curb.

"If you tell Sophie about Cameron, you're an _idiot_," House shot back, his bright blue eyes glittering in the ambient light.

"And she'll walk out on you again and never look back, pregnant or not," House added.

The thought of Sophie him leaving again made Chase's stomach twist in pain.

"So if you want to marry her and live happily ever after _you have to do whatever it takes to get over Cameron once and for all,_" House told him slowly and evenly.

With that, House went back into the club, leaving Chase sitting on the dark street by himself.

* * *

Around a half- hour later, Cameron's cell phone rang on the night- stand in her hotel room at the Princeton Sheraton.

She leaned over slightly to grab her phone, feeling a little unbalanced from her pregnant belly as she did so.

As soon as she saw Chase's number on the caller ID, her face brightened immediately. She flipped open her phone with a smile.

"Hey. I thought you were gonna call me tomorrow. I didn't mean to interrupt your bachelor party—" she began in a friendly voice.

"What do you want?" Chase asked her flatly, cutting her off.

Stunned at his tone, Cameron faltered for a moment.

"… I'm… in town for a medical conference… and I was just wondering if you wanted to have dinner sometime this week," she finally said.

"Where's Sebastian?" he asked, his tone devoid of all emotion.

"He's in Kenya, visiting a TB Clinic," she replied, still confused why he was being so curt with her.

On the other end, Chase said nothing.

"… if you're too busy with the wedding coming up—" Cameron began.

"You want to have dinner," Chase repeated, a harsh edge in his tone.

"Yeah. I thought it'd be nice to catch up," she said, still not understanding why he was acting like this.

"And I thought I needed to get over you," he stated, his voice toxic.

At this, Cameron exhaled deeply, leaning heavily back against the pillows on the bed.

"Chase, it's been three months already—" she began wearily.

"Wow. A whole three months," he snarked nastily.

"I figured we could get past this by now and that we could finally be friends," she explained almost meekly.

Chase inhaled, ignoring the incessant throbbing in his left ankle as he stood in the middle of his extravagant hotel room at the Borgata, knowing it was now or never.

"_I'm in love with you_," he blurted out.

Silence.

He laughed in disgust. "I've been in love with you for six years," he admitted, truly surprised at how cathartic it felt for him to admit that.

"Robert…" she began gently.

"Did you know that Sophie left me after your wedding?" he asked her.

"…No."

"I told her that I still had feelings for you… and it completely broke her heart," he confessed to her.

On the other end, Cameron pressed her lips together, a flush of shame rising to her cheeks.

"The night we came back from Paris, we made desperate, passionate love… and she cried the entire time, because she thought it was gonna be the last time she would ever see me again," Chase said, his emotions overwhelming him, his voice cracking as he spoke.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, having no idea what else to say.

"And the only reason she came back to me… was because I lied to her and told her I was over you," he continued, fighting back the hot tears that were welling up in his eyes.

He inhaled deeply through his nose, trying to collect himself, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. He brusquely wiped away a stray tear with his fingertip, flicking it away.

"Well I'm done lying to her, because I love her and our unborn child way too much to hurt them any more than I already have," he declared.

"…_Sophie's pregnant_?" she whispered.

Gathering strength he didn't even know he had, he stood up a little straighter in the middle of the room.

"Good- bye, Cameron," he stated simply.

And then he hung up, his heart feeling oddly lighter than it had felt in a long time.

* * *

It was a little after two am when Chase slipped into his and Sophie's bed in Princeton, wrapping his arm carefully around Sophie's swollen belly as he spooned up behind her.

She stirred slightly, turning to face his direction, still mostly asleep.

When she saw a silhouette of a figure in the bed with her, she gasped aloud, still not realizing that it was Chase because of the darkness of the bedroom and because she wasn't wearing her glasses. She flinched wildly, causing him to jump slightly as well.

"It's just me, baby," he said in a soft, soothing voice, caressing her cheek to calm her down as her eyes finally focused on Chase.

She exhaled deeply, rolling onto her back again, trying to catch her breath.

He smiled at her, moving closer to her, lying on his side.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he said gently.

"What are you doing home tonight?" she asked him, incredibly surprised to see him.

He gazed at her in the darkness, delicately smoothing her hair away from her face.

"I missed you," he replied, still smiling.

She stared at him, dumbfounded.

"…You left your bachelor party because you _missed_ me?" she repeated.

"Yes," he whispered.

He then brushed his soft, full lips against hers, cupping and caressing her cheek as he did so. At the feel of his tender kiss, she whimpered against his mouth, pulling him as close as she could to her, wrapping her bare leg low around his hip and her arms around his neck.

He gasped for breath as he trailed his lips down her neck to her collarbone, caressing her breast over her camisole. She gasped at his touch, tightening her leg around him, wanting so much more.

"I never want us to be apart for another night ever again," he told her desperately against her skin.

"…Me neither," she managed to say, overwhelmed at his gentle, insistent touch and his words.

"I love you so much," he breathed, his voice full of emotion, burying his face in her neck.

She pulled back ever so slightly, touching his chin so he would meet her gaze.

It was hard to tell because of the darkness and because her glasses were on the night- stand.

But she was almost sure that she saw something in his gorgeous aquamarine eyes that she'd never seen before.

And it was something absolutely wonderful.

"I love you, too."

TBC…


	27. Chapter 27

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND REVIEWING. ALL OF YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS MEAN SO MUCH TO ME.**

**AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO VOTED FOR "ALL IN," FOR BEST HOUSE/CUDDY ROMANCE IN THE ROCKTHEHOUSE FANFICTION AWARDS!! I WAS COMPLETELY SHOCKED AND THRILLED TO FIND OUT THAT I HAD WON!! **

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY!! :D**

**CHAPTER 27: Please read and comment.**

Cuddy was woken up by the sound of her Blackberry beeping on her night- stand next to her.

She groaned as she rolled over in the bed and reached for it, not even bothering to open her eyes or glance at the caller ID.

"Either you're drunk or the bouncer threw you out of the strip club when you attempted to touch one of the girls," Cuddy stated as she flopped back down on the pillow, knowing exactly who was on the other end.

"Or both," House replied jauntily.

Cuddy exhaled deeply, rolling back onto her left side. "How much did you lose at poker?"

House paused for effect, pretending to contemplate the question.

"… we're not starting the kid's college fund anytime soon, are we?" he asked.

"Is Chase as drunk as you are?"

"You don't care how drunk Wilson and Foreman are? They're you're employees, too," he retorted, enjoying how he was winding her up.

"Chase is getting married in a week. I want to make sure he's in one piece," she reminded him.

"I hope he's not as drunk as I am. He left," House told her.

For a moment, Cuddy wasn't sure that she heard him correctly.

"What do you mean he _left_?!" she demanded.

"He went home," he replied simply.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

"The only reason why Chase would leave his own bachelor party is if you did something horrendous—"

"What are you wearing?" he interrupted her in a seductive tone.

She tsked. "Don't try to change the subject."

"But I'm so _good_ at that," he replied in a wheedling voice.

"I'm not indulging you in one of your highly choreographed stripper fantasies right now," she stated flatly.

"Oh come on. This time, you're a naughty Starbucks barista who's closing the store," he prodded, knowing that if he pressed her just right, he could turn her ire into arousal.

"A _Starbucks_ barista? I didn't go to medical school to be called _'barista Cuddy,'_ mister," she shot back.

He smirked. "So what are you wearing?" he repeated.

"I'm not telling you until you tell me why Chase went home," she stated.

He smiled with satisfaction on the other end.

"Chase went home because he feels guilty that he still loves Cameron," House said.

"…You wanna repeat that?" Cuddy asked.

"Cameron called him. She's in town and wanted to know if he was free for dinner, to which he basically told her that he never wants to see her or hear from her again…" he began, taking a well timed pause.

"…But not before he told her that he's still in love with her and has been for the last six years," he finished, waiting almost gleefully for her reaction.

"...Does Sophie know that she called his cell?" Cuddy asked worriedly.

"No idea. Why?" House asked.

"Because Cameron called their house earlier tonight. She left a message on their machine for Chase and we told her not to worry about it because _she didn't call his cell_," Cuddy explained nervously, remembering how Sophie tried to downplay how upset she was by her phone call.

"Oh look, it's high school all over again," House snarked.

"This is serious! They're getting married in a week—"

"You already said that," he reminded her.

"The only reason why Sophie went back to him was because he told her that he was over her!"

"And he lied to her," House said, unconcerned.

"But what if he finds _out_ that he lied to her?!" she exclaimed.

"This is not your problem. It's _their_ problem," he told her simply.

Cuddy frowned, House's words giving her little comfort, finding herself envious of his ability to detach himself from other people's feelings.

"Now what are you wearing?" he asked.

"…White silk cami and panties," she muttered reluctantly, knowing all too well that House wasn't going to relent.

"Nice," House said, his cock beginning to stir in his jeans.

Despite her concern for Sophie, she couldn't deny the tingly, warm feeling she experienced at House's response. She silently cursed her libido, which had been in overdrive for the last several days due to her pregnancy.

"You sure you don't want to indulge me?" he asked.

"...Come up with a character that has a higher paying job and I'll consider it," she acquiesced.

He chuckled. "I knew you were in the mood."

"Just get on with it," she told him.

"Ok… you are the Dean of Medicine at a highly prestigious hospital in New Jersey," he said, the eagerness evident in his voice.

"Ooh, that's a stretch," she said sarcastically.

"You're a woman in a position of power… you dress for success… you're a _major_ pain in the ass," he continued.

"This is actually turning you on?" she asked in disbelief.

By this point, his confined erection was bordering on painful. He unzipped his jeans, exhaling with relief at the sensations he was experiencing.

"You have _no_ idea," he assured her.

"So what am I doing?" she asked, her tone taking on a raspy timbre, making his cock twitch.

"You're in my office, yelling at me as usual about something unimportant..." he said, reaching down underneath his boxers.

"Oh you mean like avoiding clinic duty or trying out a highly dangerous and unethical treatment on a patient?" she teased.

"Like I said. Unimportant," he stated.

"What am I wearing?" she asked, raising her knee slightly and squeezing her legs together, starting to enjoy their conversation.

"Your usual attire. Tight knee length skirt that frames your ass… an _incredibly_ tight blouse that shows off way too much of your breasts… ridiculously high heels…"

"Are you disappointed?" she quipped.

"Do I _sound_ disappointed?" he retorted.

She grinned. "Then what?"

"Then I take my feet off my desk… cross the room to you… and tell you to shut up," he told her.

"Ooh, foreplay. I love it."

"Of course you don't listen… so I have to kiss you so you'll stop yapping," he said, feigning annoyance.

"You really think that'll work?" she asked.

By now, House had taken off his jeans and was stroking himself underneath his boxers, his heartbeat quickening as he pictured Cuddy dressed exactly how he had described her.

"No… so I decide I'm going to have to unbutton your blouse…" he replied in a low, husky tone.

At this, her breath hitched, the thought of House undoing the buttons on one of her silk blouses making her clit tingle with urgency.

"… And hike up your skirt—" he continued, his breath shallow, loving her reaction to his voice and his words.

"Tell me more…" she breathed, slipping her fingertips underneath her silk panties.

"Are you wet for me?" he asked, his breath shallow.

"…Uh huh…"

**_KNOCK KNOCK._**

"_Shit_," House uttered in disgust in mid stroke.

"What?" she asked, catching her breath.

Whoever was knocking on the other side of House's hotel room door wouldn't let up.

"Hang on a minute," he told Cuddy as he rolled out of the bed and began limping towards the door.

But as he reached the door, he suddenly became aware of the massive tent he was sporting in his boxers, which his t- shirt didn't hide very well.

After scanning the room, he quickly limped back to the bed and grabbed one of the pillows, covering the front of his body with it as he headed back for the door.

Holding the pillow against him with one hand and his cell phone in the other, House looked through the peephole and snorted when he saw who was on the other side of the door.

He opened it to find Wilson standing in front of him, looking helpless and pathetic.

"What could you _possibly_ want right now?" House demanded impatiently.

Wilson glanced down at the pillow that House was holding against his body, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"…I … can't find my card key," Wilson said, a bit distracted.

"So go tell the front desk," House told him.

"You've got two beds in there. Can't I just sleep—"

"_No_," House stated flatly.

Wearing a sad and pitiful gaze, Wilson nodded glumly, turned around and slowly headed back down the hallway.

House then promptly shut the door and went back to the bed.

"Where was I?" House asked Cuddy as he got comfortable again.

"Was that Wilson?" Cuddy asked.

"No," House lied.

"What's going on?" she demanded.

"He lost his room key. He can get another one at the front desk if he's not too drunk to find the elevator," House said, exhaling in annoyance as he felt his erection start to shrink even more.

"I'm assuming he _knows_ he can get another one at the front desk, which means he didn't come to your room because he lost his key," Cuddy pointed out.

"Despite how plastered he is and the rumors around the hospital, I'm doubting he just made a booty call," House deflected.

"_He wants to talk_," Cuddy said slowly, as if she was explaining it to a child.

"Which I'm assuming _YOU_ know and you're just trying to _avoid_ it," she added.

House looked down at the front of his boxers, which had flattened out considerably.

"When I come back, we're picking up where we left off," he told her before closing his phone.

It didn't take long for House to find Wilson sitting by himself on one of the plush couches in the hotel lounge located next to the elevators.

Having half a mind to go back up to his room, House just stood there, staring at him.

"You're _pathetic_," House stated.

Wilson snapped his head around at House's voice. He then sighed, slumping his shoulders.

"You're right," Wilson agreed, his eyes downcast.

House limped over to the couch and took a seat on the opposite end, keeping a contemplative stare on his friend, waiting for him to start babbling in self- deprecation.

"I never wrote Ingrid a recommendation… I never went to Cuddy to save her job…" Wilson began.

"I don't know what she sees in me. I'm a weak, pathetic excuse for a man," he continued.

House stayed silent, at which Wilson looked up at him.

"You can stop me at any time, you know," Wilson pointed out.

"I will once you say something I disagree with," House said.

Wilson snorted, leaning heavily back against the couch.

"Why didn't you didn't go to Cuddy," House asked.

Wilson didn't reply, gazing at the carpet beneath his feet once more.

"I mean, I can see not writing a reference… who the hell reads those things anyway?" House remarked.

"I told you. I don't want to screw things up between us," Wilson mumbled.

"No, that's what you told _Sophie_. And I'm pretty sure she didn't believe you either," House pointed out.

"So why didn't you go to Cuddy?" House pressed.

"_BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT YOU WOULD SAY IF I DID!!_" Wilson suddenly blurted out louder than he intended.

House's eyes widened just a little, genuinely surprised at Wilson's response.

"'You're trying to alleviate your guilt because your old girlfriend ruined your new girlfriend's career,'" Wilson snarked, doing the best imitation of House that he could in his slightly inebriated state.

"Wait a minute—" House began.

"I'm surprised you haven't _married_ her yet. You _always_ marry them,'" Wilson continued dramatically, sounding more obnoxious as he went on imitating House.

"Are you seriously admitting that you didn't help Ingrid because of _me_?!" House demanded.

"You deconstruct everything I say! Every move I make! I can't do one thing without you overanalyzing it!" Wilson yelled back in his own voice.

House just stared at him.

"You're right. You _are_ a weak, pathetic excuse for a man," House agreed.

Wilson leaned forward, placing his head in his hands.

Sophie was lying naked on her side with Chase spooned up behind her, his arm wrapped around her breasts. They had been enjoying the silence between them after making love, the two of them wearing satisfied, lazy smiles.

"Cassie told me you stiffed her tonight," Sophie mentioned.

"Who's Cassie?" Chase asked confused, having no idea who she was talking about.

Sophie turned around to face him, pressing her body against his as he rolled over on his back.

"I believe you know her as '_Candy_,'" Sophie said, unable to keep the grin off her face.

"…Candy's a college friend of yours, too?" he asked, his eyebrows popping up.

She nodded. "She's studying environmental law at Rutgers."

"I _gotta_ meet more of your friends," he stated, making her laugh.

"So did Alex tell you any good stories about us?" she asked, wrapping her leg around his thigh.

"A few…" he replied suggestively, pulling her closer.

"Did she tell you how the first time we met Joey, we hustled him out of two grand?" Sophie asked, her grin broadening proudly at the memory.

"No… she didn't," Chase said, rather surprised at her mention of Joey, her ex and former poker partner.

Sophie chuckled. "She never liked him," she commented.

Chase nodded, lightly running his fingers through her hair.

"…You ever think about him?" Chase asked her off- handedly.

Sophie lifted her head to meet his gaze and shrugged. "Once in a while… at odd times, you know?"

He nodded, wondering if he should ignore House's advice and tell Sophie that he had spoken to Cameron.

"Usually I wonder if he's still alive or in jail," she added as an afterthought, resting her head against the space between his chest and shoulder.

"...Why do you call him and find out?" Chase suggested casually.

At this, Sophie lifted her head once more, resting her chin on his chest, meeting his eyes once more.

"You spoke to Cameron tonight, didn't you?" Sophie asked calmly.

Chase's stomach immediately leaped up into his throat.

"What did she want?" she asked.

Still in shock that she had figured out that Cameron had called him, he found that he wasn't able to reply.

"She left a message for you on the machine earlier," Sophie said, waiting patiently for his answer.

"…She's... in town. She wanted to have dinner," Chase replied softly, suddenly finding his voice again.

Sophie nodded, ignoring the pain of her stomach twisting inside her, keeping a serene, unreadable expression on her face.

"What did you tell her?" she asked, just as softly, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

After a contemplative pause that seemed to last for an eternity, Chase knew that there was only one thing he could say.

"I told her good- bye," he finally said.

She exhaled almost silently through her nose and snuggled against him once more.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him, incredibly relieved, thinking that he had dodged a bullet.

Sophie rested her head against Chase's chest again, listening to the dulcet, always soothing sounds of his innocent heart murmur.

She knew that Chase wasn't telling her the whole story.

But at that moment as she closed her eyes, losing herself in his embrace and the rhythm of his heart, she deciding that she was better off not knowing the truth.

TBC…


	28. Chapter 28

**HI EVERYONE!**

**SORRY FOR THE DELAY. RL HAS BEEN VERY BUSY.**

**BUT HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER... **

**WITH A LITTLE TWIST.**

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CHAPTER 28:

**WEDNESDAY MORNING.**

It was around 10 AM when Sophie was standing in the doorway of the NICU, watching Chase hard at work.

She smiled fondly at him as he stood over the bassinet of a preterm newborn, completely immersed in her chart and unaware that Sophie was watching him.

"Hey handsome," she finally said.

Chase looked up from his chart, a little caught off guard at the interruption.

But his reaction immediately changed upon seeing her. He smiled happily and crossed the room to her.

"Hey," he said tenderly, giving her a soft kiss.

Her eyes fluttered closed at the touch of his lips against hers. A tiny moan escaped her mouth as she felt the delightful haze she always did when he kissed her.

He smiled against her lips, loving how his kiss always affected her.

They were getting married in three days.

And he was so excited that he almost suggested three times that week that they elope.

"_So_?" he asked after reluctantly pulling his lips away from hers.

She dug into the pocket of her maternity Capri pants and produced a sheet of paper, handing it to him.

"Check it out," she told him.

Chase eagerly took the paper from her and grinned broadly as he read her program and schedule for her fourth year of medical school.

"I am once again officially a student at Princeton Plainsboro teaching hospital," she stated proudly.

"Congratulations," he said sexily, pulling her close to him once again.

"Thank you," she murmured.

He kissed her again, this time giving her ass a gentle squeeze as he did so. She felt a surge of arousal between her legs at his touch, wishing that they were somewhere more private.

"So what's your rotation schedule?" he breathed against her lips.

"Fall term… ER and Cardiac… spring term, NICU and OB/ Gyn," she replied, thinking of how far the NICU was from the sleep lab as they continued to kiss.

"NICU, huh?" he asked with a sly smile.

She shrugged with a smile of her own, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Rumor has it that the department head is a _real hottie,_" she teased.

He laughed. "Feel like celebrating later?"

"Why not now?" she offered, taking his hand, which was still on her ass and lifting it up to her breast.

"_Mmm_," he said approvingly, fondling her over her t- shirt.

"Oh god," a male voice said in loud annoyance from the doorway.

Chase and Sophie immediately jumped apart, startled at the sound of the voice.

They both exhaled when they saw House standing in the doorway, watching them.

"And in front of the _children_? What is _wrong_ with you people?!" House asked mockingly as he entered the NICU.

"What are you doing down here?" Chase asked, closing his lab coat over his scrubs, hoping that his almost full erection wasn't too obvious.

"I need _you_…" House began, taking a well- timed pause as he pointed at Sophie.

"…And I have a bone to pick with _you_," he finished flatly, facing Chase head on.

"What did _I_ do?" Chase asked defensively.

"Why the hell did you make Wilson your best man?" House demanded.

Chase raised his eyebrows, surprised at the question.

"…He's… gonna be my brother-in-law," Chase replied.

"So what?" House asked in irritation, as if that was a ridiculous excuse.

Chase was truly confused at House's demeanor.

"You… actually wanted to be my best man?" he asked House.

"I asked you to be my best man at _my_ wedding," House reminded him in an accusatory tone.

"That's because Wilson wasn't there and you didn't _know_ anyone else," Chase reminded him.

"I was your boss for four years. I've saved your ass hundreds of times. _And_ I planned your bachelor party!" House retorted.

"What exactly did _you_ do for Chase's bachelor party except offer to audition strippers?" Sophie interrupted, folding her arms across her chest.

Chase pressed his lips together, trying desperately not to laugh out loud, knowing full well that Sophie did almost all of the work for his party.

"…All right. I'll give you that one," House conceded.

Sophie tilted her head and nodded with an arched eyebrow seemingly satisfied with that answer.

Chase was grinning broadly now, loving how Sophie was able to handle House so well.

But his smile instantly disappeared when House faced him again.

"I just thought our friendship _meant_ something to you," House said glumly, his bright blue eyes full of sadness.

Chase exchanged a glance with Sophie, truly shocked that House was this hurt by his choice of Wilson as his best man for his wedding.

Sophie shrugged, just as surprised at House's demeanor, having no idea what to say.

"I'm sorry. I should've asked you," Chase told him sincerely.

"Yeah well, it's kinda late for '_should'ves_,'" House said miserably.

"…Would you like to be an usher?" Chase suggested, feeling guilty for slighting his former boss and mentor.

"No," House said dejectedly.

"…Well…" Chase began.

"Go get your lab coat," House said to Sophie.

"...Why?" Sophie asked, completely confused at the randomness of House's order to her.

"Because Cuddy assigned me to the ER today," House told her.

At this, both Chase and Sophie furrowed their brows, bewildered.

"The ER is short staffed and Chase hurt my feelings _way_ too much for me to do any charting," House explained overdramatically.

Chase's jaw dropped slightly and slowly, his brain gradually coming to the conclusion that House had just punked him.

But Sophie grinned.

"Nicely played," she said to him in appreciation.

"I can't believe he actually bought any of that crap," House remarked to Sophie, turning around to leave the NICU.

**...........................................................................................................................................................................**

PRINCETON PLAINSBORO EMERGENCY ROOM:

Around five minutes later, Sophie entered the crowded, bustling ER wearing her short lab coat.

She scanned the room for House, but couldn't see him.

"Sophie!" a male voice called out to her.

Sophie turned in the direction of the voice and saw Nurse Jeffrey standing by the triage station.

"They put you down here?" Sophie asked once she reached him, surprised to see Jeffrey anywhere else but the Clinic.

"Short staffed. Cuddy fired eight nurses last week," Jeffrey explained flatly.

At this, Sophie stayed silent. Very few people in the hospital knew about the fact that fifteen million dollars had been stolen from the hospital by her brother's ex.

And she wasn't about to betray Cuddy's trust in her.

"Have you seen House?" she asked instead.

"Over there," Jeffrey said, jutting his chin somewhat to the right towards a curtained off area of the room. "Bring some Purell."

"Why?"

"Patient looks like a real lowlife," Jeffrey replied, handing her a small bottle of hand sanitizer.

Her curiosity piqued, she took the bottle from him and headed over to the area that Jeffrey had indicated.

Not exactly sure what she was going to see behind the barrier, she slowly peeled back the curtain.

And her mouth gaped open.

Because in front of her was House sitting on a stool, holding their current patient's chart in his hand.

And on the hospital bed sat Joey, who was sporting a huge, ugly purplish- red bruise on his cheek, two black eyes, a bloody nose and a busted lip, holding an ice pack in his hand.

**.....................................................................................................................................................................................................**

WILSON'S OFFICE:

At around the same time, Wilson was on the phone in his office, wearing a weary and aggravated expression, when Cuddy knocked quietly on his door before letting herself in.

Wilson glanced up at her for a mere moment, holding one finger up before turning his attention back to his conversation.

"_Again_? Ingrid, you've been working late every night," Wilson said into the phone.

Cuddy remained silent as she closed the door behind her, wondering if she should just turn around and leave.

"…I understand that it's a new job, but I haven't seen you in two weeks," Wilson pointed out into the phone.

He paused again, listening to Ingrid tell him once again that she needed to make a good impression if she wanted to keep her job.

He exhaled deeply in frustration, growing tired of having the same argument with her.

"What time you think you're going to be home?" he asked.

Cuddy waited patiently by the door, feeling Wilson's disappointed reaction as he listened to Ingrid's reply on the other end.

"All right…" he said in a resigned tone.

"…Yes, I understand…" he continued, defeated.

"Bye," he finally said, placing the phone back in its cradle on his desk.

"Everything all right?" Cuddy asked.

"Ingrid canceled on me again," he mumbled.

Not wanting to make him any more upset, Cuddy held her tongue as she sat down on the leather couch against the wall, waiting for him to continue.

"I mean, I understand she's trying to make a good impression at her new job, but…" he began, cutting himself off.

"… I think she's avoiding me," he finally said.

Cuddy gave him a weak, sympathetic smile. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she agreed with him.

"I made a huge mistake. I should've asked you for her job back," he admitted.

"…Why didn't you?" she asked gently.

"Because I'm a wuss," he muttered in disgust.

She smiled again, agreeing with him silently once more.

"I started daing Amber because House fired her. And House never let me hear the end of it," Wilson told her.

Cuddy's smile faded at the mention of Amber, knowing how hard it was for Wilson to move on with his life after he lost her.

"And after this whole fiasco with Debbie…" he continued, trailing off.

"I just… wanted to avoid his abuse this time," he said, leaning back in his chair, gazing down into his lap.

"No you didn't," she said, causing him to meet her eyes.

She got up from the couch and walked over to his desk, taking a seat on the top of it.

"You need House as much as he needs you," she told him.

"That's not exactly comforting," he remarked.

"You value his opinion… and you didn't want his opinion to make you doubt yourself or your relationship because you're happy with Ingrid," Cuddy stated plainly.

He nodded glumly in agreement.

"I just wish _she_ was happy with _me_," he said sadly.

**.....................................................................................................................................................................................**

**PRINCETON PLAINSBORO EMERGENCY ROOM:**

Back down in the ER, House examined Joey's face with his fingertips while Sophie sat in a chair against the wall, waiting for House to tell her something that she could write.

She avoided looking at Joey, fighting feelings of concern that were surfacing for him.

His shoulders were slumped, making him look much shorter than he actually was.

She had seen him banged up plently of times.

But never this badly.

"_Ow_!" Joey winced, moving away from House's hand.

"I don't feel a break in your zygomatic bone," House declared.

"But your nose is definitely broken," House added, critically examining the purple rings under Joey's eyes and the crook in his nose.

Joey exhaled, wiping more dried blood off the bottom of his nose with the rag that the ER triage nurse had given him as Sophie diligently wrote House's assessment of Joeys condition in the chart.

"How did this happen?" House asked him.

"I walked into a door," Joey said tiredly.

"Really. Didn't realize that they made doors shaped like _fists_ nowadays," House snarked.

Joey closed his eyes, not really having the energy to give him a clever comeback.

"Follow my finger," House ordered him, holding his index finger in front of Joey, slowly moving it from side to side.

Joey moved his emerald green eyes from side to side as House continued to examine him.

"Did the ER tell you that you have a concussion?" House asked.

"No."

"Are you having blurred vision or trouble seeing?" House asked him.

"No. Why?" Joey asked, losing patience with him.

"Because you haven't said one thing about your ex's big fat pregnant belly yet," House replied, putting his finger down.

Joey darted a glance at Sophie, who was now holding her forehead in her hand, rubbing it with aggravation, wishing that she could just disappear.

But Joey said nothing.

"Look. I've been waiting here for five hours. Can't you just give me something for the pain?" Joey begged wearily, turning his attention back to House.

"Sure," House replied.

"Thank you," Joey breathed in relief.

"But not until we get a CT scan for your face," House added.

Sophie raised her eyebrows in great surprise as Joey attempted to do the same. But the pain was making it difficult.

"You just said it's not broken," Joey reminded him.

"No, I said _I don't feel a break_. We need to be sure," House said.

"Go prep Mr. Wonderful for a CT scan," House ordered Sophie as he got up off the stool to head back to the triage station.

**......................................................................................................................................................................................................**

**PRINCETON PLAINSBORO RADIOLOGY DEPARTMENT:**

Some time later, Joey was sitting on a cushioned, backless couch in Radiology, not even bothering to hold the now melted ice pack up to his cheek, waiting for a nurse to call his name.

He smiled a little when he saw Sophie approach him with a fresh ice pack and a bottle of ibuprofen and a paper cup of water.

"Put this on your face," she told him, handing him the ice.

He nodded, exhausted, taking the ice pack from her.

"And take these," she added, shaking out two pills into his other hand.

"Thanks," he replied, swallowing both pills and washing them down with the water she gave him.

She sat down next to him on the couch, her mouth turning down sadly at the sight of him.

Unable to stop herself any longer, she touched his face softly, probing his injured cheekbone as delicately as possible.

He closed his eyes at her gentle touch, a small smile forming on his bruised face.

"You're a lot more gentle than House was," Joey mumbled.

She breathed a tiny laugh, stroking his cheek just a little with her thumb.

"So you're pregnant," Joey commented.

"Looks that way," she quipped, a smile tugging at her lips.

"That's really great," he told her sincerely.

"Thanks," she replied warmly.

He gazed into her deep brown eyes, the bittersweet memories of when she had her miscarriage in her first year of medical school flooding back to him.

They had been broken up for a few years by then.

But when he heard her voice on the other end of the line and what had happened to her, he had immediately had dropped what he was doing and went to Boston to be with her during that horrible time.

"So who'd you piss off this time?" she joked, snapping him out of his thoughts of their past.

He felt his insides fill with dread at her question.

"…Someone I really shouldn't have," he said quietly after a pause.

Sophie felt her stomach rise up into her throat at his answer. Joey was a person who always chose his words carefully.

And she knew him way too well to dismiss his response as a flippant remark.

"I owe," he said simply.

She nodded somberly, understanding the weight and terror behind those two words.

"How much?" she asked in a raspy voice.

"…Thirty," he admitted.

"Joey…" she gasped, shocked that he had gotten in so deep that he owed thirty- thousand dollars to seedy loan sharks who preyed on career poker players who were either too stupid or too reckless to play conservatively.

His facial expression didn't change in the least at her reaction.

"...Do you have it?" she asked him, already knowing the answer.

He shook his head from side to side.

"They're giving me forty- eight hours to get it," he told her.

She drew in a breath, placing her hands on his.

"I've got fifteen that I can give you from my case money, and I know a few games where we can get the rest," she told him.

"Sophie, _no_," he stated flatly, shaking his head vehemently.

"We'll just do our thing. Nobody can outplay us if we work together," she continued.

"I can't let you do that," he insisted.

"If you don't come up with thirty grand in two days, _they're gonna kill you_," she said, her voice quavering.

He gazed down at her engagement ring on her finger and her swollen pregnant belly as every fiber in his being told him that there was no way that he could let Sophie round with him again to get him out of this mess.

But as he looked into her eyes once more, his resolve disappeared.

"What's Chase gonna say?" he asked, closing his eyes a little.

"Let me worry about that," she assured him.

TBC…


	29. Chapter 29

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND FOR ALL OF YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS!**

**UNFORTUNATELY, THIS STORY WILL BE COMING TO AN END SOON. DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE HAVE, BUT WE ARE CLOSER TO THE END.**

**HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER.**

**PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ENJOY! :D**

................................................................................................................................................................

CHAPTER 29: Please read and comment.

"I've got fifteen that I can give you from my case money, and I know a few games where we can get the rest," Sophie said.

"Sophie, _no_," Joey stated flatly, shaking his head vehemently.

"We'll just do our thing. Nobody can outplay us if we work together," she continued.

"I can't let you do that," he insisted.

"If you don't come up with thirty grand in two days, _they're gonna kill you_," she said, her voice quavering.

He gazed down at her engagement ring on her finger and her swollen pregnant belly as every fiber in his being told him that there was no way that he could let Sophie round with him again to get him out of this mess.

But as he looked into her eyes once more, his resolve disappeared.

"What's Chase gonna say?" he asked, closing his eyes a little.

"Let me worry about that," she assured him.

**............................................................................................................................................................................................................**

"_No way_," Chase declared angrily.

"Robbie, just listen—" Sophie began, holding up her hands in a placating gesture.

"Are you _insane_? There's no way I'm letting you get mixed up in this!" he exclaimed.

"It's only fifteen grand. We're just gonna play in a few soft games. There's no risk—"

"You told me there's _always_ a risk!" he reminded her with agitation.

Sophie placed her hands on her hips and diverted her eyes to the linoleum floor of the NICU ante- room, avoiding Chase's intense stare on her.

"What if you lose the money and they come looking for him? They'll come looking for you too!" he begged anxiously.

"That won't happen," she assured him.

"Of _COURSE_ it can happen!" he yelled.

"We won't lose! This isn't gambling! It's a skill game—" she argued.

"Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now?" he interrupted her.

She exhaled deeply, looking away from him once more. Part of her did realize that she indeed sounded ridiculous.

But there was another part of her that just refused to admit it.

"I can't even believe that you're _considering_ this!" he told her.

"_They're gonna kill him_," she said desperately, looking back up at him once more, hoping he would understand.

"And that is _not_ your problem," he stated flatly.

The anxiety over Joey and her disappointment in Chase welling up inside her, she turned away from him to leave. But Chase gripped her arm and turned her around, forcing her to face him and the situation.

"Listen to me. Joey got himself in this trouble. You didn't," he told her, holding onto both her arms as if his grip on her could change her mind.

"And he can't get himself out of this trouble without my help!" she argued vehemently.

"You're not playing," he ordered her firmly.

Her first impulse was to shake free of his hold on her.

But the way his blue- green eyes were boring into her kept her paralyzed in her spot.

"I'll lock the door and the windows if I have to," he added.

"Then I have to buy him some time," she told him, shaking out of his grasp.

**..........................................................................................................................................................................................**

A few minutes later, Sophie was in Cuddy's office.

Cuddy was sitting up straight at her desk, listening to Sophie tell her Joey's plight while House was sitting on her leather couch, playing with his iPhone.

Chase paced back and forth near the door, his ankle throbbing in unforgiving pain.

"Can't we just keep him here for a week or so?" Sophie pleaded with Cuddy.

"You know I can't do that," Cuddy replied, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"Besides the fact that I'm putting this entire hospital at risk if I hide him here, it's against hospital policy to keep someone overnight if their condition doesn't warrant it, I don't have the bed space and he has no insurance," Cuddy stated, maintaining her ramrod straight posture while she ignored Sophie's disappointment.

Sophie glanced over at House for a second, hoping that he'd come to her defense.

Feeling her eyes on him, House looked up from his iPhone and shrugged.

"What she said," was all he said as he looked back down at his phone.

Sophie shot House a wide- eyed glare, clearly communicating to him that she thought he'd help her with this.

"She's the boss and I've never made it to this level in Bejeweled," he stated, uninterested.

"And you're an idiot if you think these guys'll stop looking for him after a week," he added, engrossed in his iPhone once again.

"I just want to buy him some time—" Sophie began.

"_FOR WHAT?_" House snapped at her angrily, his demeanor suddenly changing, tossing his iPhone across the couch.

Chase, Sophie and Cuddy flinched, their eyes wide with shock at House's outburst. House pushed himself off the couch, taking a few steps across the room to face her, leaving his cane behind.

"That piece of shit was the reason why Lisa got attacked in that casino bathroom! That guy who assaulted her was looking for _you_!" he yelled menacingly in Sophie's face.

"Greg, stop…" Cuddy said reproachfully as she got up from behind the desk and walked over to him.

"You were throwing up all over the ER when you saw the bruises on Lisa's face and you blamed _yourself_!" House continued, ignoring Cuddy's hand on his arm as she was trying to pull him back.

Chase, however, didn't move from his spot to step in.

"Or did you forget?" he spat out bitingly, his bright blue eyes penetrating her.

Sophie darted her eyes to Cuddy, the overwhelming guilt she felt on that horrible night flooding back to her.

"…I didn't forget anything," she said softly.

Cuddy somehow managed to pull House back a few inches from Sophie.

"… Just think for a moment," Cuddy began, taking a more gentle approach to try to make Sophie see reason.

"If you were in Joey's situation, would he do this for you?" she asked Sophie.

"Yes," Sophie answered without hesitation.

At this, Chase laughed out loud in disgust behind her.

As she heard his laugh, Sophie whipped around to face him.

"If Cameron was in this situation, you'd help her," Sophie told him an accusing tone.

Chase shifted his weight and folded his arms across his chest, taking a defensive stance.

"Cameron would never _put_ herself in this situation," Chase said coldly.

For a moment, Sophie just stared at him.

Then a tiny laugh filled with contempt escaped her throat and she shook her head.

"You're an asshole," Sophie stated, turning on her heel to leave Cuddy's office.

But Chase grabbed her roughly back towards him.

"You didn't give a _shit_ about this guy until you saw him today in the ER!" he said menacingly.

"_AND YOU LIED TO ME!_" she yelled back, her voice just as toxic as his.

For a minute, Chase was thrown off guard, unable to reply, having no idea what she was talking about.

"You don't think I know that you still have feelings for her?" she asked, her voice quavering.

House and Cuddy turned their heads in unison towards Chase, waiting with baited breath for his reply to this.

His expression softened as he loosened his grip on her arm, his body slumping as his arm fell to his side.

"I told Cameron good- bye because I love you and I want to move on with my life and spend the rest of it with you," he stated sadly.

His words completely stunned her. She felt as if a knife had gone right through her heart.

She had never expected him in a million years to say that.

But before Sophie could reply to this, the door to Cuddy's office opened. Nurse Jeffrey popped his head in and scanned the room.

"Jeffrey, this really isn't the time—" Cuddy began.

"Need you in the Clinic," Jeffrey announced to Sophie, ignoring Cuddy.

Sophie looked around for a minute to make sure that she was indeed the person Jeffrey was talking to.

"…_Me_?" she asked in surprise and disbelief, pointing to herself.

"Not enough nurses and no doctor'll want to do this," Jeffrey assured her.

She gazed at Chase, who by this point looked completely heartbroken.

"Robbie…" she began contritely.

"Just… go," he told her, his voice barely audible.

Jeffrey shifted his weight and placed his hands on his hips in an impatient gesture. Knowing she had no choice, Sophie left the room with him, not saying another word to Chase on the way out.

"Good. She's finally gone," House said bluntly.

Cuddy shot House a nasty look. Chase barely reacted at all.

"Why is that good?" Chase mumbled, focusing on the floor.

"Because I just bought you at least thirty minutes," House told him.

Upon hearing this, Chase looked up, completely blindsided.

"… You… _paged Jeffrey_?" he asked incredulous, putting all the pieces together in his head.

"Now go be the sneaky bastard that you are and do whatever it takes to stop Sophie from making a huge mistake," House ordered him.

At first, Chase furrowed his brow and shook his head, having absolutely no idea what the hell he could do to prevent Sophie from Rounding with Joey to save his life.

And then it hit him.

**.........................................................................................................................................................................................**

Moments after Chase left Cuddy's office with a look of epiphany, House went back to his place on the couch and got comfortable.

Cuddy watched him, stunned.

"Wow!" she finally said.

House crossed his ankle over his knee and placed his arm across the back of the couch, a tiny smirk forming on his face.

"I impressed you with my stealth texting," he stated.

"Honestly… yeah," she admitted, crossing the room and taking a seat on the couch next to him.

"You had me at '_no insurance,_'" he quipped.

She laughed slightly at that, leaning back against his shoulder. He lightly wrapped his arm around her and gave her a tiny kiss on her temple.

They sat on the couch in silence, he gazing down at her prominent belly, their minds both jogging back to that horrible night at Mohegan Sun casino, when House found Cuddy in the women's bathroom, bruised and bleeding at the hands of a psychopath.

He had beaten the guy within an inch of his life with his cane and his bare hands.

But sometimes he wished he had finished the job right.

"…Do you ever think about what happened that night?" Cuddy asked him in a raspy, faraway tone.

"I try not to," he admitted gruffly.

She exhaled, forcing herself to block out the images in her mind that occasionally resurfaced.

"Yeah, me too," she said.

"Sophie's being an idiot," House said after a few more moments of silence between them in, deciding he had dwelled on the past long enough.

"She cares about this guy," Cuddy replied with a shrug.

"I'm sure she's the only one who does," House said. Cuddy nodded slowly in agreement.

"If our daughter ever brings home a loser like him, I'm not letting her out of the house until she's forty," House declared.

Cuddy looked up at him with a twisted smile, well aware that House was deflecting to avoid thinking about what had happened to her.

"Oh so now we're having a girl?" she asked coyly.

"I told Sophie she's having a boy. Figured I'd do my part to balance out the universe," he said.

"Do you want a girl?" she asked.

"I don't care," he said a bit too casually.

"You're lying," she stated with a sly grin.

Unable to keep the sheepish smile off his face, he caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"My ultrasound and amnio is in a few weeks. We could always find out the sex of the baby if you want to," she reminded him.

"That's up to you," he told her.

"…I kinda wanted it to be a surprise," she admitted.

"Then we won't find out," he said.

She gave him a loving smile and a kiss, caressing the scruff on his cheek with her hand. He gently brushed his lips against hers, his hand instinctively finding its way to her belly.

They eased back on the couch again, him still tenderly rubbing her stomach, not wanting to get his hopes up this early of the possibility of them having a daughter together.

"Besides, if I _really_ want to know what we're having, I can always break into Sobol's office or the hospital's mainframe," he added.

"My password isn't '_partypants'_ anymore," she stated.

"I know. It's '_Head Bitch In Charge_,'" he replied without missing a beat.

Her jaw dropped in shock as she turned towards him.

"How did you know—" she began.

"What else would it be?" he asked.

**............................................................................................................................................................................................................**

It only took Chase eight minutes to find Joey.

Chase had found him waiting in chairs in the ER for someone to reset his nose and bring him his CT results. He was still holding the now melted ice pack which he hadn't even bothered to put on his badly mangled cheek.

Joey immediately noticed Chase limping slightly as he approached him and took the empty seat next to him.

Chase stared at him for a few moments with cool eyes, saying nothing.

Joey raised an eyebrow at him, hoping that Chase wasn't about to deck him in the middle of the ER.

"Let's take a walk," Chase told him.

**..............................................................................................................................................................................................**

A few minutes later, Chase and Joey had walked a block away from the hospital.

Neither of them had said anything to each other.

Suddenly, Chase stopped in his tracks, causing Joey to stop walking as well.

Chase stared at him with the exact same cool expression he had a few minutes ago.

He then reached for the front pocket of his scrubs. The action caused Joey to wince and pull back slightly, expecting Chase to punch him.

Chase arched his eyebrow, noticing this.

But he said nothing as he pulled out a folded piece of paper out of his front pocket and handed it to Joey.

Joey eyed the paper skeptically for a moment before taking it from Chase.

His facial expression didn't change in the least when he saw that it was a check made out to "_CASH_" in the amount of thirty- thousand dollars, signed by Robert Chase.

"What's the catch?" Joey asked him, still looking at the tiny piece of paper that would save his life this time around, knowing full well that Sophie had no idea about this.

"You disappear," Chase replied simply.

Joey finally met Chase's cool stare on him, realizing exactly what Chase meant.

Chase folded his arms across his chest, waiting to see what Joey would do.

Joey then re- folded the check and placed it in the front pocket of his weathered jeans.

Chase immediately laughed in disgust and shook his head.

"You didn't even hesitate," Chase said.

"Should I have?" Joey asked lightly.

"Sophie was willing to put herself and our baby at risk to save your life," Chase told him, his voice thick with contempt for the other man.

"Then I come along, give you a check on the condition that you can't see or speak to her ever again and you take it," Chase continued.

"What does that tell you about yourself?" he asked Joey, gazing at him as if he was a pathetic creature.

Joey shrugged. "Nothing I didn't already know…" he replied casually.

"… And… that I love Sophie just as much as you do," Joey said sincerely.

"Maybe even _more_ than you do," he added.

Chase hardened his jaw at this, refusing to acknowledge Joey's comment. The corner of Joey's mouth turned up ever so slightly, inwardly delighted the fact that he had hit a sore spot in Chase.

"I never wanted her to help me out of this mess. That was all _her_ idea," Joey told him.

"So what does that tell you about _her_?" Joey asked him.

"That you don't deserve her," Chase stated flatly.

"I know I don't," Joey said, his own bright green eyes locking on Chase's.

"But let's hope you do," he added.

Chase watched him turn on his heel and walk away, an uneasy, unsettled feeling washing over him.

He then turned around and limped back to the hospital.

TBC…


	30. Chapter 30

**HI EVERYONE!**

**THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR WONDERFUL COMMENTS! I REPLIED TO ALL OF THEM. :)**

**FOR SOME REASON, MY STATS HAVEN'T BEEN WORKING THE LAST SEVERAL DAYS. IF YOU COULD, PLEASE JUST LEAVE A QUICK REVIEW SO I KNOW IF YOU ARE STILL READING. **

**WE ARE COMING TO THE END VERY SOON. I WILL BE DOING SEVERAL TIME JUMPS TO TIE UP ALL OF THE STORIES.**

**AND UNFORTUNATELY, I WILL PROBABLY NOT BE DOING A SEQUEL.**

**IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE ENJOYED MY SERIES. WHEN I FIRST POSTED ON HERE, I WAS PETRIFIED.**

**I HOPE YOU ALL DECIDE TO STICK AROUND FOR THE END.**

**FOR NOW, PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS CHAPTER AND ENJOY! :D**

**.....................................................................................................................................................................................................**

**CHAPTER 30: Please read and comment.**

Sophie was at the Charge Nurse's station in the Clinic, surrounded by piles of charts, checking each one against their digitized version on the hospital's mainframe to determine if their insurance information was current.

Jeffrey was absolutely right when he said that no doctor would want to do this. The job was tedious, frustrating and from Sophie's point of view, completely unnecessary.

But of course, she had no idea that the job was a concocted scheme devised by House to keep her busy.

Nurse Jeffrey was sitting a few feet away from her, checking his watch, making sure that she stayed near him for at least thirty minutes, as per House's instructions.

As Sophie went through the motions of the mundane task Jeffrey had given her, she kept hearing Chase's heartbroken voice in her mind:

"_I TOLD CAMERON GOOD- BYE BECAUSE I LOVE YOU AND I WANT TO MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE AND SPEND THE REST OF IT WITH YOU."  
_

She tried to push his voice out of his mind and reached over to grab another file, rationalizing that she was right in helping Joey against everyone else's advice when she suddenly felt a sensation in her belly.

She froze, glancing down at her stomach.

At first, she dismissed the thought that it could be the baby. She was only at sixteen weeks.

But as she tried to remember what she had eaten earlier that might be giving her indigestion, she felt the sensation again in the exact same spot.

A distinct flutter that couldn't have been indigestion.

A tiny laugh fell out of her mouth as she stared at her belly, amazed and overwhelmed.

"You trying to tell me something?" she asked her stomach, placing her hand on it.

"I didn't say anything," Jeffrey replied from his seat next to her.

She laughed again. "I wasn't talking to you."

Jeffrey's eyes widened a little. "You felt something?" he asked excitedly.

"I think so!" she replied with a broad smile, just as enthusiastic as he was.

Jeffrey immediately placed his hand on her prominent belly. She took his hand and moved it slightly to the right where she had felt the sensation, both of them waiting eagerly for something to happen.

"There it is again!" she gasped, feeling the same flutter right underneath his hand.

"I didn't feel anything," Jeffrey said, clearly disappointed.

"I don't feel anything on the surface either, but it's amazing! It feels like a butterfly is flitting around in there!" she went on, still holding Jeffrey's hand fast to her belly.

He smiled at her, splaying his hand out, hoping that the change in his hand position would help him feel something.

"It'll probably be a couple more weeks before other people can feel it," she said.

"Just wait until Chase can feel it," he commented.

She nodded happily in agreement at first, wanting nothing more than to leave the Clinic and find Chase to tell him.

But then she remembered what had transpired in Cuddy's office only a half- hour ago.

And then she realized that nothing else mattered.

Not her pride, not Joey, and not Cameron.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she told Jeffrey, getting up from her chair before he could stop her.

**………………………………………………………………………..............................................................................................................................**

As she left the Clinic, Sophie took out her phone, ready to text Joey that she would give him the fifteen grand from her case money but that he was on his own to get the rest.

But before she could even open the phone, it chimed in her hand, indicating that she had received a text message:

**"PARKING GARAGE. GROUND FLOOR. J."**

**………………………………………………………………………….................................................................................................................................................**

Five minutes later, the elevator doors opened on the ground floor of the hospital's underground parking structure.

Joey was leaning against the wall across from the elevator, only a few feet away from her, his hands thrust into the pocket of his jeans.

"I got your text. What's going on?" Sophie asked him as she got off the elevator.

He gave her a tiny, crooked smile as he gazed at her for a moment without a word.

He then silently pushed himself off the wall with his foot, walked the few steps towards her to close the distance between them, produced the folded check that Chase had given to him from his pocket and handed it to her.

She slowly took the paper from him, having no idea what it could be.

Joey watched her intently as she unfolded the paper and a completely flabbergasted expression appeared on her face as she read it.

"He gave it to me and told me never to contact you again," Joey told her.

She looked up from the check at him, now even more stunned.

At first, she was at a loss for words, her mind racing. When had Chase given this to him? What had transpired between them when he did?

But then Joey spoke again, snapping her out of her thoughts:

"And I can't do that," he added.

"Joey… you have to take this—" she began insistently.

But he merely shook his head, refusing to acknowledge her worry for him.

"Listen. Give me ten minutes. I'll go home and get you the fifteen that I have—"

"_No_," he replied firmly, interrupting her again.

"Why not?" she demanded anxiously.

"Because that means you won't sit with me to get the rest," he replied simply.

She pressed her lips together regretfully, part of her still surprised at how well he knew her.

"I can't," she confessed.

"And you shouldn't," he told her.

"…So what are you gonna do?"

"I'll figure something out," he assured her.

"This is _insane!_ You came here because you got hurt and I have the money to get you out of this! Why are you being so stubborn?" she demanded.

"I came here because I can't stop thinking about you."

His confession caught her completely off guard. She had no response.

"Sophie, this happened to me in Trenton," he said, gesturing to the bruises on his face. "You really think I couldn't have gone to a hospital there?"

"And do you have _any idea_ how jealous I am of Chase?" he added with a sad smile.

"Joey, _please_ take the money," she pleaded with him, tears welling up in her eyes, holding the check out to him in desperation.

But he didn't take it.

Instead, he kissed her cheek, his lips lingering on her for a moment, trying to memorize the softness of her skin.

She closed his eyes at the touch of his lips, the tears in her eyes rolling down her cheek.

Now crying, she opened her eyes, knowing it would be the very last time she would ever see him again.

And as he reached up to wipe away the tears on her cheek, she brushed her lips against his frantically.

Gasping for breath, he kissed her desperately over and over again, as if he was dying of thirst, ignoring the dull aches and pains from his injuries, wanting to stop time. He threaded his fingers through her hair, letting her scent and her lips sweep him away for as long as he possibly could.

But in the end, it was Joey who broke off their kiss, pressing his forehead against hers as they caught their breath once more.

"Make sure he takes care of both of you," he told her.

**………………………………………………………………………………………….................................................................................................................**

Around ten minutes later, Sophie wound up in the NICU, where Chase was examining a pre- term newborn.

She was so dazed from everything that transpired between her and Joey that she didn't even remember how she got there.

And she had no idea that her mascara was all streaked down her face from crying and that Joey's blood was smeared on her cheek and her lips.

When Chase looked up at her, his eyes widened in panic at her appearance.

"What happened to you?" he demanded.

She didn't answer him.

Instead, she just slowly handed him back his check.

"...He wouldn't take the money," she said in a ragged tone.

He took the check out of her hand and tossed it aside, completely unconcerned. He touched her face, anxiously trying to ascertain if she had been hurt in any way.

"Sophie, there's blood all over your face! What _happened?"_ he repeated.

She blinked slowly and rubbed her lips and cheek, Joey's blood wiping off on her fingertips. She started at it blankly for a moment, realizing that Joey would most likely be dead in forty- eight hours.

"…I kissed him good- bye," she managed to say, still staring at the blood on her fingers.

"… I told him I wouldn't play… I told him I'd get him my case money…" she continued, her voice sounding far away in her ears.

"...He's dead..." she finally said flatly, shrugging her shoulder.

Chase quickly took her out of the NICU and into the prep area. As he grabbed a few nearby towels, soaking one of them with surgical soap and warm water from the sink, she sank down into a chair, staring off into space, her entire body slumping.

He returned to her and tilted her chin upwards and began to wash her face. She couldn't help but close her eyes at the sensation of the warm water and Chase's gentle touch against her face.

"… That feels nice…" she murmured.

Chase didn't answer her as he continued to wash off the blood and streaked mascara. He tossed the dirty towel aside, left her face wet, hoping that the water would snap her out of the haze she was in.

"…I felt the baby move…" she whispered.

He stared at her, his eyes widening in excitement.

"When?"

"In the Clinic about twenty minutes ago," she replied softly.

He glanced down at her belly. He knew that it was too early to feel anything on the surface, but he was so excited at the thought that he touched her stomach anyway.

As he did so, Sophie's emotions began to get the better of her, the tears welling up in her already red and swollen eyes again.

"Please don't hate me," she begged.

He looked back up at her face, shocked.

"Baby, I don't hate you," he told her as if the notion was ludicrous.

"I'm sorry I kissed him. I'm sorry I offered to help him—" she ranted.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he reassured her gently.

"Yes I do. I've made so many bad choices—"

"No you didn't," he said softly, touching her face to help her calm down.

She took a deep breath to try to compose herself and wiped her eyes with another one of the cloth towels that Chase had retrieved for her. Chase gave her a moment to calm down.

"How can you say I didn't make bad choices?" she finally asked him sadly.

"You chose to go back to school… you chose to help a friend who loves you… and you chose to take me back after I broke your heart," he told her.

"How are those bad choices?" he asked her with a lopsided, sweet smile.

"Is that you see all this?"

"Yeah."

"How is that possible?" she asked him, honestly having no idea how Chase could be so forgiving.

"Remember the first time we kissed?" he asked her, brushing a stray hair away from her face.

She nodded and sniffed her nose in reply.

"That kiss made me fill your apartment with flowers, get off my ass to take a job as Chief of NICU instead of quitting medicine altogether, give up Vicodin, get LLLT treatment for my ankle, ask you to marry me on a whim, follow you around the hospital with a juice box, force you to move in with me even though we had broken up, put saltines by your bed, wear a male engagement ring and give Joey thirty grand to stay away from you," he replied simply.

"That kiss made me fall in love with you, Sophie," he added.

Overwhelmed, she couldn't do anything else but stare at him for a few moments. His smile widened a little at her response.

"Did you… just think of all that now?" she finally asked.

"A lot of that was actually going to be part of my vows on Saturday," he confessed sheepishly.

She let out a laugh. "Well they're a lot better than mine."

He laughed as well, rubbing her leg. "What are yours?"

She took another deep breath and exhaled, tracing his entire face with her eyes.

"From the moment I met you I promised myself that I would do whatever it would take to make you fall in love with me…" she began in a raspy tone.

"…Because from the moment I met you, I knew you were the one,"

"You're my heart, Robbie," she finished.

He gazed at her lovingly, the smile never leaving his face.

"…That's actually a _lot_ better than mine," he said, laughing again.

"And now we don't have anything to say to each other on Saturday…" she said, her sentence dissolving into laughter and tears right along with him.

He pulled her to him, kissed her and held her close to him, nuzzling his face in her hair. She closed her eyes again, losing herself in his arms.

"Promise me I'll always be your heart," he whispered near her ear.

"I promise," she told him.

"Good."

TBC…


	31. Chapter 31

Hi everyone!

Thank you so much for all of the recent reviews on this fic! I'm sorry I haven't updated in quite some time. But I am currently working on an ending now! Please stay tuned!


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